British Invasion
by ancientmaverick
Summary: Dr. Jillian Abbot appears to be the perfect addition to Atlantis, but chaos ensues when she is revealed to be hiding something. Shep whump eventually, CarsonOC pairing. NOW COMPLETE! Former title: Oh Baby!
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I'm still kinda new to this, so be kind, please! I will try to update quickly, but it may be a few days between chapters. Please review and feel free to ask questions. Thanks!_

o0o

"Dr. Weir! The Daedalus reports that they are 20 minutes out."

Dr. Elizabeth Weir glanced up from her paperwork to see the gate technician standing in her doorway. "Thank you. Tell them to land on the South Pier. Have Colonel Sheppard meet me there."

"Yes ma'am." As the technician tapped his earpiece to relay her message, Elizabeth quickly finished the report she had been reading, and then filed everything away for a later date. She then began to make her way to the Daedalus' landing area.

Halfway there, she met up with Colonel John Sheppard, Atlantis' commanding military officer, and Dr. Rodney McKay, the head scientist. Both greeted her enthusiastically, which made her a little suspicious.

"Don't tell me you're both this happy because Colonel Caldwell is here." Elizabeth grinned at the exaggerated looks of horror on her friend's faces.

"Hardly," said Sheppard. "Despite the fact that the good Colonel has mellowed quite a bit in the past few months, I always breathe a little sigh of relief every time he leaves without taking over my command."

"Maybe if you stopped getting shot at or turned into an alien every time he was here, he wouldn't have to do your job," said McKay, looking rather irritable.

"What's got Rodney's knickers in a twist, then?" asked a new voice.

Elizabeth turned to see Dr. Carson Beckett jogging up to meet them. "Carson, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Aye, I know. But there are some new nurses and a new doctor coming on this run, an' I wanted to give 'em a once over before escorting them to the infirmary." Beckett sighed. "I dinnae want a repeat of the last time."

Sheppard winced. "Thanks for that. I'm not a big fan of being restrained while the nurse supposedly watching me goes to flirt with some marine. Even if I was hallucinating about giant bugs."

Elizabeth frowned. That had been an unfortunate experience for all.

"Anyway, to answer your question, Rodney here is expecting a certain lovely young lady whom he hopes to kidnap so she only does her research in _his_ lab." Sheppard laughed as McKay took a swipe at him.

"Shouldn't you be practicing your voodoo or something, Carson? And I am not here to kidnap any scientists." McKay crossed his arms as they waited for the Daedalus to land. "I am simply here to greet an esteemed colleague in the field of astrophysics."

"Sounds fascinating," Sheppard said, feigning a yawn. "Anyway, whatever you guys are hoping for, _I'm_ hoping for some well-trained soldiers this time. I've told the SGC a million times that Atlantis needs a separate screening program than they give their personnel. We're in a different galaxy, for cryin' out loud!"

Everyone had to hide a grin as Sheppard rolled his eyes. He was still recovering from a mission to rescue a group of Atlantis newbies on a "stealth" exercise who had blundered into a village of people who worshiped the Wraith.

"I have to say, we do seem to get an awful lot of green recruits." Elizabeth wondered briefly if the SGC were punishing her for some minor indiscretion, but dismissed the thought. It didn't really matter, after all.

"Love, I think we're all just going to have to face the facts." Beckett sighed. "We're too damned much of perfectionists to accept anyone who isn't half so wonderful as ourselves."

Elizabeth looked surprised, but then she saw Beckett's wink, and began to laugh.

It was an interesting sight, therefore, for the first people off the Daedalus. There were Atlantis' brightest and best, laughing so hard there were tears in their eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Shorter chapter, but I wanted to get Jill introduced. I love Lorne, so I'll try to get him in here as much as possible, but he's not the focus, so just keep your eyes peeled for sightings._

o0o

Dr. Jillian Abbot could not believe that she was finally on the lost city of Atlantis. Ever since learning of her new assignment, she had poured over the reports from the expedition, gleaning every bit of information possible about the city and its inhabitants.

It was a good thing to do under normal circumstances, but Jill had learned that nothing that happened on Atlantis was any kind of normal. The Atlantis team had obviously been under an enormous amount of stress over the past two years, and it was a wonder that so very few of them had cracked. There was definitely more under the surface than Jill or anyone who didn't actually live in Atlantis knew.

_And that's the crux of it. I'm beginning to wish this assignment had been given to someone else. I'm not the most objective person in the world._ Jill sighed. That was exactly why she had been given the assignment. She had a reputation for being fast and efficient, and for stepping on more than a few toes along the way.

Jill pushed away thoughts about her mission, and focused on getting herself off the Daedalus. The line was moving quite quickly, which she attributed to everyone's eagerness to finally see their new home.

"Can I help you with anything, Dr. Abbot?"

Jill turned quickly, nearly running into the new friend she had made on the trip. "No, thank you, Major Lorne. I tend to pack light." She returned his smile. "Please, no comments about me being so different from most women you know." She laughed as he winced slightly. "It's all right. Are you pleased to be returning home?"

Lorne smiled widely, and then quickly schooled his features into a professional mask as they made their way down the ramp. "Yes ma'am. I may have been born on Earth, but Atlantis will always be where I prefer to live." He frowned slightly as he looked at a small group of people waiting on the far side of the pier. "Ma'am, if you don't mind, I need to report to Colonel Sheppard."

"Of course, Major." Jill glanced at the group Lorne was watching. "Actually, I'd like to meet Colonel Sheppard myself."

Jill could have sworn that Lorne rolled his eyes, but he just nodded, and pointed to the small group. "I'd be happy to escort you."


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: I absolutely love reviews. I don't think I can tell you much reviews give me warm fuzzies. So please, please, please don't just stop by and not tell me what you think!_

_denise-42 and SpecialAgentJim, this chapter is for you._

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Elizabeth had finally stopped laughing, and she began to turn her attention to the controlled chaos before her. She had asked Lieutenant Anderson to round up all of the non-specialist personnel, who would be under her direct command. She could see Dr. Radek Zelenka doing the same with Rodney's scientists, and she wondered briefly if the one he was so eager to meet was part of that group. Carson was already escorting his new staff members to the infirmary, though he was frowning at something.

_Never a good sign_, she thought.

"Elizabeth, have you seen Lorne anywhere? He's supposed to be gathering up my new personnel." Sheppard scanned the crowd, his eyes pausing at each face, mentally cataloguing the new people.

Elizabeth smiled. John never stopped doing his job. "I haven't seen – wait. Yes, there he is. He's got someone with him. They're coming this way."

"Good." Sheppard glanced at McKay, who had crossed his arms and was biting his fingernails. "I take it your scientist isn't here yet."

"She's not _my_ scientist. And no, Zelenka hasn't been able to locate her." McKay started pacing, causing Sheppard to roll his eyes, before turning his attention to Lorne, who had just arrived.

"Major, nice to see you made it back in one piece." Sheppard raised an eyebrow in his companion's direction.

"Yessir. Dr. Weir, Colonel, I'd like to introduce Dr. Jillian Abbot. Dr. Abbot, this is Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, and the one pacing frantically is Dr. Rodney McKay." Lorne smirked slightly before turning to Sheppard. "Sir, I've got twenty-six new recruits waiting at the base of the ramp. What should I do with them?"

"Get everyone to the training floor. Ronon and Teyla are waiting for them there. I'll be along shortly. Make 'em sweat a bit." Sheppard grinned mischievously as Lorne saluted and moved away. "Sorry about that, Dr. Abbot. Just taking care of some business. Welcome to Atlantis."

"Yes, welcome, Dr. Abbot." Elizabeth smiled at Abbot.

"Thank you, Dr. Weir, Colonel. You have no idea how pleased I am to be here." Abbot smiled in McKay's direction. "Dr. McKay, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I hope I can be of some benefit to your team."

McKay had stopped pacing, and was now staring at the scientist. _She's gorgeous,_ he thought. She really was. Her jet black hair was cut short, her green eyes stared inquisitively from her tanned face, and her voice was-. _Wait a minute, they didn't say-_

"Your file didn't say you were English." Rodney mentally kicked himself. He was always saying inappropriate things. "I mean, uh, it just, well, you've done so much work in the U.S., I, um-"

Abbot didn't seem to mind. "It's all right, Dr. McKay. I was born just outside of London, but I traveled quite a bit around the world before joining the Stargate program. I hope you don't mind that I got one of my degrees from Oxford."

Sheppard grinned, but tried to stifle a laugh as McKay spluttered, practically tripping over himself to assure her that it was no problem. John exchanged a glance with Elizabeth, both knowing that Dr. Jillian Abbot had made quite an impression on Rodney.

"Well, as I said, it is a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Abbot. I hope we'll be able to chat more later, and you can tell me all about England." John nodded to Elizabeth. "If you'll excuse me, I've got new recruits to intimidate."

Elizabeth smiled at him as he left, and then took pity on her head scientist. "Rodney, why don't you show Dr. Abbot to her quarters, and then get her acquainted with the labs?"

"Right. Uh, will you be joining us?"

"No, I need to speak with Colonel Caldwell. I'll meet you for dinner, though." Elizabeth made her way to the ramp as McKay gestured toward the city, no doubt already filling in his newest scientist on the wonders of Atlantis.

"Dr. Weir, I trust things have been relatively quiet since I was last here." Colonel Caldwell looked about as happy as he ever did, which Elizabeth supposed was a good thing.

"No major problems, Colonel. Did you have any problems on the trip?"

"No, despite Hermiod's constant reminders that we have no idea how to properly utilize advanced technology, and the larger cargo than normal. Speaking of that, there is a certain item that I wanted to show you before we did anything with it." Caldwell didn't elaborate, just gestured toward the cargo bay.

"Lead on, Colonel."

o0o

_AN: Any ideas on what it could be? Don't forget to review!_


	4. Chapter 4

"It's a piano."

"Oh wonderful, Captain Obvious. It's nice to see your observational skills haven't atrophied too much."

"Shut up, McKay. And it's Colonel Obvious, to you." Sheppard gave his friend a look, and then turned back to Weir. "Who ordered a piano?"

"I'm not sure. Colonel Caldwell wouldn't say much, just that whoever it was badgered him until he had no choice but to agree. I got the feeling he was a little annoyed by them."

"Well, hurrah for our mysterious friend. Anyone who can get away with that deserves a medal in my book." John opened the lid to examine the inner workings. "I just wish I knew who it was."

"That would be me."

Everyone turned in surprise as Dr. Abbot stepped into the common area. "I hope you don't mind. I was going to send a message about it before I brought it, but Daniel thought it would be, well, 'more amusing' are the words I think he used, if I didn't say anything about it. I thought it would be nice to have something different. Besides, no offense, but I think everyone here could use a little relaxation every now and then."

"I agree, Dr. Abbot." More surprised looks as everyone realized that Sheppard was the one agreeing. "I think this is a fantastic idea. I just hope no one expects me to play."

"Please Colonel; I don't think anyone was seriously thinking of asking you," McKay snorted.

"Well, I'd be happy to give lessons, but I was actually hoping that I could convince _you_, Dr. McKay, to show off your talent." Jill smiled sweetly as Rodney looked at her in surprise. "I understand you've done some work with the Toronto Philharmonic."

"Oh, it was nothing, just a trifle really, I mean, there was the CD that I recorded with them, but other than the tour, it was really quite a small role I played in their history."

Sheppard could have sworn he saw Dr. Abbot roll her eyes, but when he looked closer, all he could see was rapt attention to McKay's prattling. _So, Rodney's got a new fan. Weird._

"I'm just gonna go and see if Lorne has checked in yet." Sheppard backed quickly into the hall, breathing a sigh of relief as he escaped what was rapidly becoming an episode of the Twilight Zone.

Elizabeth just smiled at Sheppard's escape. "I'm assuming it was you who suggested that Colonel Caldwell beam the piano here?"

"Yes ma'am. It was the only way he'd agree to bring it, although I suppose my 'badgering' had something to do with it. I think he was afraid I expected him to move it all the way from the South Pier." Jill smiled innocently.

"Well, I think a piano is a wonderful addition to the city. And I am looking forward to hearing you play, Rodney." Elizabeth raised her voice to get Rodney's attention, as he was still listing his many achievements.

"What? Oh, right. I would be happy to – "

"Dr. McKay, perhaps we should continue work on the Ancient device Dr. Zelenka found in the east section of the labs this morning."

Elizabeth could see that Dr. Abbot had struck a chord with Rodney, no pun intended, because he immediately started for the door.

"Yes. I was thinking, it could be some kind of subspace distorter, which means it could be useful in the making of ZedPM's."

"What if we tried it in conjunction with the other device?"

"I was just going to suggest that. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, have you ever met the Queen?"

"I saw her once at Westminster Abbey. She ignored me completely."

As they rounded the corner, their voices were lost in the humming of the city.

Elizabeth surveyed the common area. She had to admit, the piano added something. Perhaps the old saying was true. You haven't really moved until you've moved a piano.

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_AN: So, probably not what you were expecting? I've always thought Atlantis needed a little more refined entertainment, and I just had to laugh at the thought of Rodney playing piano professionally. _

_This chapter is basically setting up more of Jill's character, but we'll get into more of the mystery in the next chapter. _

_I'm going to warn you now, what I originally thought would be a relatively short story has morphed into a monster! So, should I try to shorten some things or are you ready for the long haul? Don't forget to review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I really wish you could see the happy dances I do when I see there are new reviews._

_Things are going to get crazy in RL for a few days, so this may have to tide you over until I can get things squared away. I'll keep writing, though, and I'll post a bunch as soon as I can. Enjoy!_

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Jill yawned as she opened the door to her quarters. Dr. McKay had very little concept of time, especially when he was working on a theory, and they had been working non-stop for ten hours before she had tactfully suggested they break for dinner. It had been simple enough after that to call Rodney's attention to the bleary-eyed scientists around him, and he had grudgingly dismissed them to get some sleep.

Of course, that hadn't been the only reason she had suggested they quit for the day. McKay had basically been her shadow in the lab, constantly asking her to activate things or looking over her shoulder as she analyzed data from the experiments. The entire time, he had kept up a virtually one-sided conversation about his life achievements or his hopes for Atlantis.

She had answered his questions as succinctly as possible, but her responses always brought up some other topic. She supposed it was her fault for pointing out his piano skills. Rodney McKay was interesting, but she had been warned by Sam Carter about him, and she intended to heed that warning. Still, she wished she hadn't agreed to Daniel's suggestion to bring the piano. It had caused quite enough problems already.

Jill had yet another reason for getting away from the lab, but she doubted McKay would accept an excuse of 'I'm supposed to be spying on your city, and my superiors will be expecting a preliminary report in two days, so I need to get started.'

Yeah. That would go over well.

So far, she hadn't seen anything extremely out of the ordinary, and that meant she would have to search for it in more unconventional ways.

Jill reached into her closet and pulled out her 9 millimeter pistol and a shoulder holster. She still had her holdout piece in an ankle holster, a nice Smith and Wesson, but for nighttime explorations, it would probably be wise to pack some extra firepower. She adjusted her weapons and then pulled on a jacket, hoping to be mistaken for a harmless insomniac out for a midnight jaunt in the city.

She was feeling a little guilty about it, actually. Despite his obvious crush on her, Dr. McKay was a brilliant scientist, and she had enjoyed working with him. She could sense that Colonel Sheppard would turn out to be a great friend if they had the chance to get to know one another, and she had been asked to spar with Teyla and Ronon in the morning.

But she couldn't make friends with these people. They were assignments, and she had learned the hard way to have no attachments.

Jill headed out, deciding to start with the two people she knew least about.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Dr. Weir's office was the most difficult to get into without being seen. Jill hid behind the column, watching the small contingent on duty. Fortunately, Weir had opaqued the walls before leaving, and the technician and two marines left were chatting comfortably. Jill slid forward, her eyes roving over the three men and down the hall. She made it to the office door and slipped in, pausing to make sure her entrance had gone undetected.

Weir's office was neat and organized. Jill knew most of what she needed was on Weir's computer, but she moved toward the filing cabinets. She quickly pulled out every file she could find on Dr. Beckett's retrovirus project, Colonel Sheppard, and everything about Aiden Ford.

An hour later, after memorizing several key documents and reports, Jill shifted in her position on the floor. Weir's reports showed a deep respect and concern for her premier team. Jill wondered briefly if Sheppard and Weir were having an affair, but she dismissed it almost immediately. Regardless of their obvious feelings for one another, everything Jill had seen so far revealed them to be very professional, and she doubted if they would ever even acknowledge their feelings, much less act on them.

Jill carefully replaced everything and stretched out her sore muscles. She moved toward the door, hesitating before turning back to the desk. She had left everything where she had found it, but now she pulled a drawer open slightly and moved a tray on the desk slightly to the left, which knocked over a picture frame.

It wasn't a big change, but she hoped Dr. Weir would notice it. Jill wanted to see what she would do if she suspected a spy in the city.

She slipped out quietly and then headed toward the infirmary.

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_AN: What happens next? Hit the happy button below and tell me what you think!_


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: I couldn't help myself, so here's a longer chapter for you. I'm not sure who I should credit with the creation of Nick Strauhan, but I'll just say he's not mine. There's a little romance, a little mystery, and a dose of English humor, which I'm not going to translate unless you ask. _

_Thanks for all the reviews! I'm working on an ending, but I have to say, there are a lot of directions that this could go in, so if you'd like to give some input, I'd appreciate it. I'm hoping all of this continues to make sense. I've rewritten it a hundred times already, and my brain is starting to hurt._

_Anyway, enough of me, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!_

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John was on his way to his quarters when he spotted Jill in the hall ahead of him. She was walking slowly, and he could barely hear her footsteps. In fact, if he hadn't been paying attention, he probably would have walked right past her, she was so quiet.

He jogged up behind her, calling her name as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned around so fast that John was afraid she'd fall over. He steadied her, and then grinned. "I didn't scare you, did I?"

Jill grinned weakly back at him. "You just about gave me a heart attack. Do you always sneak up on people like that?"

John put on a hurt expression, one that never failed to win people over. "Nope. Just beautiful women who are wandering the halls late at night."

She blushed slightly. "I'll try not to make it a habit then, Colonel."

He smiled. "Call me John. If you don't mind me asking, why are you out here so late? As far as I knew, I was the only insomniac around here."

Jill started walking again, and he joined her. "Well, now there are two. I've been working with Dr. McKay in the lab all day and I needed to unwind. I figured I'd explore some of the city, since I don't get a chance in daylight hours."

John laughed. "Yeah, Rodney can be a bit much sometimes, but you'll get used to him." They turned a corner. "Hey, I hear you'll be joining our little stick fighting club in the morning."

"Yeah, I happened to mention it to one of the lab assistants and Teyla overheard me. She invited me to come."

"Are you any good?"

"I'm all right. Probably not as good as you."

"Flattery will get you anywhere, Dr. Abbot." John slowed as he reached his door.

"Please, call me Jill." She smiled at him and then began walking again.

He called after her. "Try to get some sleep."

She just waved over her head and continued walking.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Carson stared at his computer screen, not really paying attention to the information on it. He had been up for nearly twenty hours, having taken a shift for Dr. Nick Strauhan, who had been called offworld to deal with injuries on Major Lorne's team.

The infirmary had been quiet all day, something for which he had been extremely grateful. His new nurses were assimilating well into his staff, but the new doctor was so incredibly arrogant that Carson sometimes wanted to jab a needle into his arm and shut him up.

This wasn't very nice, he knew, but he could not stand the constant look of smug superiority on Dr. Aron's face. It reminded him too much of Rodney.

He heard a crash coming from the supply room, and with a sigh heaved himself out of his chair to check it out. There he found a young woman tangled up in IV poles and boxes of bandages, looking quite sheepishly up at him.

"I'm very sorry if I disturbed anyone. Are you Dr. Beckett? I was looking for your office, but I'm afraid I got a bit turned around and found your supply room by mistake." She smiled brilliantly at him as he helped her up.

"Aye lass, if you don't mind me sayin' so, it's nice to see that the English are as observant as ever." Carson began straightening things up and was pleased when she began to help. He could see she knew her way around an infirmary, because she seemed to know the exact place to put everything.

"Cor blimey, sah, a Scotsman! And if ye don't mind me sayin' so, 'tis good to see a bloke what has 'is bonnet in the proper direction from 'is boot."

Carson laughed loudly before covering his mouth and glancing guiltily around the infirmary. "'Tis glad I am to meet someone from the neighborhood, lass. It's difficult to have a proper conversation around here."

"It's nice to meet you, as well. I'm Dr. Jillian Abbot, but please, call me Jill." Jill held out her hand and Carson readily took it. "I'd offer my services in the infirmary, but I'm afraid your supply closet would never forgive you."

"I'm sure it'll recover. Are you a nurse as well as a scientist, then? And what exactly brings you to my office in the middle of the night?" Carson led her back to his office.

"Not a nurse, but I have had some medical training. I was a field medic in Afghanistan. I helped the doctors when I wasn't doing…other things." Jill looked down at her hands. "You tend to learn a lot very fast in situations like that." She took a deep breath, and then smiled up at him. "Anyway, I'm afraid I haven't quite settled into a routine here, and I was hoping you might be able to give me something to help me sleep. I've got a long day working with Dr. McKay tomorrow."

Carson smiled. "Aye, that's enough to give anyone trouble sleeping." He reached into his desk. "Here, it's from my private stash. Sure to give you an excellent night's sleep! I'll give you a few, just make sure you don't take more than one a night." He handed her a small bottle. "Forgive me for bein' so curious, lass, but why was an astrophysicist in Afghanistan working as a field medic?"

Jill bit her lip for a moment, and Carson realized that she wasn't sure how to answer. He started to speak, but she shook her head.

"It's all right. My primary field is astrophysics, but I have several other areas of expertise. I was sent to Afghanistan as part of a task force which focused on IED's. It was my job to safely disarm any that were found. It was also my job to create some that could be delivered to known Taliban sympathizers." Jill smiled wanly. "I spent so much time trying to blow people up, but working in the field hospitals reinforced the fact that if I didn't do it, more of our people would be lying in those beds."

Carson sat back in his chair. He knew war could change some people for the worse, and he was happy to see that Jill had tried to take a different road. "I'm sorry, Jill. I can understand some of what you mean. Working here in Atlantis, I've seen and done things I would never have dreamed of back on Earth. Just thinking about the Wraith makes shivers go up and down my spine."

Jill leaned forward. "I read your report on the retrovirus you created."

Carson sighed. "Aye, that damned retrovirus. I wish I'd never laid eyes on the bloody thing."

Jill smiled sadly before standing. Carson could have sworn he had heard her say she wished he hadn't either, but before he could ask her about it, she was heading for the door.

"Thank you, Dr. Beckett, for your help. I enjoyed chatting with you."

"It's Carson, love, and I enjoyed our chat as well. I was wondering…" Carson hesitated, and she turned, looking questioningly at him. "I was wondering, well, uh, if you would possibly like to have lunch with me tomorrow. We could talk about the old country." He was suddenly very nervous, and couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

"I'd like that very much. I'll see you then." Jill smiled and then walked out of the infirmary.

Carson let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and then chuckled to himself. "Bonnet in the proper direction from the boot! Good lass."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Jill leaned against her door, breathing deeply to ease her racing heart. Here for two days and already coming close to getting caught, twice! "What were you thinking, girl?" She pulled the syringe from her pocket, making sure the plastic cap was secure on the retrovirus before putting it into a box she had prepared for this purpose.

She dropped onto her bed, pulling off her jacket, thinking of her lunch with Carson the next day. _No attachments. Right. _


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: Sorry about the delay, but I've just rewritten half of the next few chapters, and I needed to make sure everything fit together. Thanks for all those who've reviewed so far!_

_I'm not good at fight scenes, so please forgive me if it doesn't make a lot of sense. I'll try to post more regularly this week, but classes will be starting soon, and I may not be able to update every day. Anyway…_

_Enjoy!_

o0o

"Teyla? It's Jill Abbot." Jill had arranged to meet Teyla this morning, but she was still slightly uncomfortable standing at the Athosian's door. She had been assured that Teyla would be up at dawn, but she was starting to doubt it when the door opened.

"Good morning," said the Athosian, smiling warmly. "I see you are better at being on time than John is. He and Ronon will meet us in the training room."

Jill smiled back. She was eager to begin training again. She felt slightly nervous as they stretched on the mats, but she just cleared her mind and focused on her body.

Teyla suggested that Jill and John spar first, so that she and Ronon could observe. They circled each other slowly, daring the other to make the first move. Jill responded smoothly when John brought his sticks up and charged. She tapped him lightly on the right thigh before sidestepping his blow to her shins. He grinned as he remembered her comment that she was 'all right' at fighting.

Jill feinted to his left side and then whirled to the right. John had been expecting it, and for the next few minutes, they danced around each other, stick striking stick. Jill faltered and John moved in for the kill, but she rolled under his attack and brought him down with a scissor kick, making him lose one of his weapons. She placed one stick against his neck and grinned.

He groaned, but Jill had no time to cheer, for she felt someone moving behind her. She swung her other stick over her head, hearing it connect with another that had been aimed for her head. She dodged, and then assumed a proper fighting posture as Teyla grabbed the other stick from John's hand. He whistled softly, eager to see how this fight turned out.

This fight was much different. Whereas John had been impatient, Teyla was anything but, and she stalked like a predator seeking after prey. Jill subtly switched her grip, waiting for Teyla to strike.

When she did, she moved faster than lightning, and Jill felt a sting on her arm before she could bring up the stick to block. She focused on defense, taking a few hits but nothing very crippling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ronon grab his own sticks and begin circling behind her.

Whereas John was unpredictable and Teyla was fast, Ronon had brute strength behind his blows, and Jill knew that the fight would not last long if she faced both Teyla and Ronon alone. She also knew that John would never let that happen. Sure enough, just as Ronon swung down, she twisted, and allowed John's sticks to meet Ronon's.

It was still far from a fair fight, though, and soon both she and John were flat on the mat. Jill grabbed the hand Ronon proffered and pulled herself up. She could feel the sweat dripping off of her, but it felt good. She had had an amazing workout, and she felt her muscles burning in ecstasy.

"You fight well." Ronon didn't say anything else, just pulled a towel from his bag before leaving.

"Ronon is correct. We would be honored if you joined us every morning. It has been long since we found such a worthy opponent." Teyla bowed, and Jill, having been warned, touched foreheads with her. Teyla then followed after Ronon.

John frowned comically. "Hey! I thought I was a worthy opponent!" He pouted until Jill laughed at him, and then he grew serious. "They're right, you know. You definitely fight better than any other astrophysicist I've ever known. Where'd you learn?"

Jill draped a towel over her shoulder and drank some water before answering. "My mother was terrified that I'd be taken advantage of because I was smaller than other kids, so she forced me into self-defense classes. I studied jujitsu for thirteen years, along with several other forms of martial arts. Then I was in Afghanistan for a bit, and I did some training with the 101st Airborne. I've just been taking classes off and on for the past twenty years. It's simple enough to merge everything into a unique style that can be used in pretty much every situation."

"You are definitely gonna have to teach me some moves." John hefted his bag onto his shoulder. "I've got a briefing, but I'll walk you to your quarters, and you can tell me how you knew Teyla was coming after you."

o0o

_AN: Hit the happy button and tell me what you think. I still need suggestions about where you think this should go._


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: This is a longer chapter to reward you for your patience. Thanks for the lovely reviews! I'm having a severe case of writer's block concerning the end of this story, and I've been trying to resolve that. Don't worry, though, I still have plenty to post before then, so hopefully I'll get it cleared up soon. _

_Please note, I've changed the rating, not for this chapter necessarily, but for future chapters. Mainly just language things, nothing horribly graphic._

_I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy!_

o0o

"Seriously, Rodney, don't make me take out the lemon."

"Do you have any idea how wrong that sounds?"

"It only sounds wrong because you have a filthy mind."

"Oh, look who's talking, Kirk."

"Gentlemen? Can we get started, please?" Elizabeth smiled as Rodney glared at John. She was sure to hear about the source of this argument later. "I wanted to get some feedback from you on our latest additions to Atlantis. Colonel Sheppard, would you begin?"

"Love to. I'll be sending two marines back on the Daedalus, but I think everyone else will work out." He saw their curiosity and explained further. "They got in a fight over the last cup of blue jello."

"Colonel, you and Rodney do that all the time!"

"Yeah, but I'm the ranking military officer and I deserve the jello."

"Aye, and you don't break Rodney's hands to get it." Carson had been an unfortunate witness to the aftermath of the incident.

"Anyway, as soon as Lorne gets back, he'll pick a new man for his team, and then I'll form another team under Major Tipton. The rest of them can switch off with other teams and act as security details. Oh, and I was hoping for more field medics, but we only got one, so we'll need to send another request to the SGC tomorrow," John finished up.

"Sounds good. Rodney?"

Rodney glanced up from his computer. "Everyone is fine."

John grinned. "What Rodney means to say is that a certain Dr. Jillian Abbot is proving to be an excellent addition to the lab, but is resisting his amorous intentions and has unfortunately turned down his request for lunch today."

Rodney glared at John, who merely widened his grin, and stood up to leave.

"I'm, ah, very sorry, Rodney, but can you elaborate on the 'excellent addition to the lab' part?" Elizabeth tried to hide her own grin as she listened.

Rodney sat back down, crossing his arms. "Fine. She's brilliant. Not more brilliant than me, but I have no doubt she could give everyone else around here a run for their money. Plus, she has the gene. It's probably half as strong as Sheppard's, which allows her to activate seventy-five percent more than I can and probably fifty percent more than Carson."

"It's true. I only had to go to the lab twice yesterday to touch things." John made no effort to hide his joy at that fact. "Jill is also much better at explaining things in real English, although some of her phraseology is a little off. No offense, Carson, but you guys have weird names for things."

"What's the matter, Colonel, don't know the difference between your boot and your bonnet?" Beckett laughed. "The lass is certainly full of surprises. I had a chance to speak with her last night." He turned to John. "She may actually be able to help with your field medic troubles. She said she did some work in Afghanistan, and I checked her file. She'll need a bit of trainin' up, but I wager she'll be useful in a pinch."

"Excellent! We can take her with us when we go to that planet Ronon was talking about. He said there are a lot of Ancienty things, which she can help us with. Plus, Teyla, Ronon and I had a chance to do some stick fighting with her this morning, and I've got to tell you, she can kick some serious butt. Then, of course, she can bandage Rodney up when he falls into a hole or something."

"I am going to sic an iratus bug on you."

"Please don't." Carson turned to John. "If you'd like, you can join Jill and I for lunch, and we'll try to teach you some of our 'weird names' for things."

In hindsight, Carson realized that it probably wasn't the best way to tell Rodney that he had been passed up in favor of the Scotsman, but he couldn't help it. He could live with the fact that Jill had chosen to have lunch with him, even if it was only because he had asked first.

Elizabeth cleared her throat, trying to break up the tension that had suddenly descended. "Uh, Carson, besides the new medic, how is your new staff coming along?"

"Can't complain, love. I'd like to, but since we desperately needed a new doctor, and he keeps telling me how wonderful he is, I can't say anything against him right now."

"The nurses are okay, though, right?"

Rodney stopped shooting a death glare at Carson just long enough to glare at John. "Oh right, Hawkeye,' who cares if the doctor is an idiot, as long as the nurses suit your needs!"

Elizabeth sighed as the three men continued their argument. Not for the first time, she wondered why there were so few women in the top echelon of Atlantis. _Because the SGC is run by the military, that's why._

"Okay, everyone, please, I need you to refocus your attention." They all shut up. "Thank you. I have something very serious to discuss with you. We may have a spy in Atlantis."

That definitely got everyone's attention.

"How do you know?" John unconsciously began fingering his sidearm.

"I can't be one hundred percent sure, but there was probably someone in my office last night, going through my files. There were some things moved around. But when I asked the marines on duty last night, they said they didn't see anyone."

"Better to be safe than sorry. I'll have Lorne do some checking around. He's less conspicuous than I am, and he did spend some time with the new people on the Daedalus."

"Do you think it's one of them?"

"At this point, we can't really rule anyone out. Don't worry, Elizabeth, we'll be discreet."

"All right, then. I'll let you all get back to your duties."

o0o

_Hawkeye Pierce, from the television show M'A'S'H; known for his exploits with the nurses_

_AN: Do I really need to say it? Review please!_


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: This chapter is a shameless exploitation of English phrases. I laughed many times while writing it. I have a few explanations at the end, but I'll let you guess what the rest mean. _

_Thanks for the reviews. I know my chapters tend to be shorter, but they just break up so naturally, and I don't want to make it too long._

_RL will be hitting hard for the next few days, so please don't be alarmed. Classes start on Monday, so posting will be done on the fly. I'm anticipating another week or two to finish this._

_Enjoy!_

o0o

Carson straightened his jacket for the hundredth time before rechecking his hair in the mirror. He shouldn't be this nervous. He was just going to have a nice lunch with a new friend.

_A new _female_ friend who just happens to be gorgeous and from my neighborhood._

He straightened his jacket again, and then made his way to the mess hall.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"So then this blokes mate comes up to me, and he is seriously pissed, and he says 'Well, even if you're not all fur coat and no knickers, I'm sure you know of some nice Essex girl who wouldn't mind company'."

Carson's eyes widened. "What did you tell him?"

"I lean up close to him, which was a mistake because he smelled cheap as chips, and I say 'Sure, mate, there's a nice little flint what lives in that building across the way', and the Brahms heads straight for the door. Of course, who should he run into but two nice bobs on their way out!"

Carson chuckled. "I can imagine the looks on their boats!"

"Aye," said Jill. "They looked about like Dr. McKay and John do right now!"

Carson laughed harder when he realized that she was right. They had been in the mess hall for more than an hour, talking about their lives in England and Scotland, taking every opportunity to use as much slang and British English as possible. Rodney and John had joined them for lunch, but for half the conversation they had confused looks on their faces.

Jill took pity on them. "It's not really that difficult to figure out. I'll give you an example. Are you ready?" She winked at Carson. "All right. This bloke was sittin' at the joanna in the Jolly Jack when a nice pair of gams yells 'Get yer germans off me bristols!' So they take 'im up, and the Barnaby sends 'im to do bird down the ginger."

It was too much for Carson. He burst out laughing, and only stopped to hear how Jill would explain it. "Okay, so there's this guy sitting at the piano in a bar, and this nice looking woman starts accusing him of trying to feel her up. So they sent him to the judge, who gave him time in jail." She smiled. "Do you get it now?"

Rodney put his head on the table. "I am so confused about life right now."

John shrugged. "What else is new? Do you guys talk like this all the time?"

Jill laughed, and shook her head. "Actually, no, we don't. Carson and I are just taking advantage of your ignorance. There are obviously differences between American English and British English, but there are fewer every year."

"I still have to say, Jill, my kind of English is much simpler."

"There's a reason for that, lad." Carson grinned mischievously. "You couldn't possibly hope to achieve our level of sophisticated communication, so you decided to dumb it down." Jill laughed and held out her hand, which he shook.

"Okay, okay, so you Brits are smarter than Americans. I can live with that. We're still smarter than Canadians."

Jill could see from the expression on Rodney's face that this would lead to trouble. "And that's my cue to head back to the lab."

Carson quickly followed her. "I'll join you."

They headed down the hall to the transporter, and a comfortable silence fell between them. They had just reached the door to the lab when Jill turned to face him.

"I really enjoyed lunch today, Carson. I hadn't realized how long it had been since I could just have fun without worrying about work." She smiled at him, though Carson thought he could sense some hesitation in her words.

He shrugged it off. They were just getting to know each other, after all. "I don't think I'll ever forget the look on the Colonel's face when you gave him a taste of the old-style Cockney." She laughed. "Would you like to meet again tomorrow?"

Jill smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sure. I'll see you then."

Carson said goodbye, and made his way back to the infirmary. He was puzzled by Jill's reaction to his question, but he figured it was just her being unsure about what exactly he was asking.

_Not surprising, considering _I _don't even know what I'm asking._ Carson thought about the past hour and realized that Jill's presence had put him completely at ease. They had so much in common, and he found it so easy to talk to her. He knew that he could easily fall for this woman, and that gave him pause. Atlantis wasn't exactly the best place to find a date, and he knew if he didn't snatch Jill up, someone else would. But he also didn't want to move too fast, knowing that that could ruin a chance for something long-term.

He shook himself, and continued walking. He had just met Jill, and he was already thinking about a long-term relationship. _Carson, you've got it bad._

o0o

_pissed: in Britain, to be pissed is to be very drunk; same as Brahms_

_Essex girl: girls from Essex have a reputation for being fast and easy_

_boats: faces_

_AN: Most of the other phrases are old Rhyming Cockney. Some phrases are still used quite a bit, though most people have forgotten their origins. All are authentically British. _

_Apologies to any Canadians reading this. I think you all are very smart._

_Don't forget to review! _


	10. Chapter 10

_AN: To reward you for your patience, a longer chapter, with some minor Shep whump. TheNaggingCube, thanks for joining us, and don't worry, Shep will be plenty whumped in the next few chapters. Thanks to all of my reviewers, and readers who don't review, but are still faithful. _

_Like I said, classes start tomorrow, so things will be crazy for a bit. I'll try to keep this updated as often as possible._

_Did you all see the latest episode! Multiple heart attacks were had by me. I totally called what would happen, though. Hooray for more intrigue in the Wraith world!_

_Okay, on to the story. Enjoy!_

o0o

John watched with concern as Jill entered the training room. She looked preoccupied, and she threw her bag onto a chair before sinking into another. She ran her fingers through her hair, and looked for a moment like she was going to cry. Then she looked up, saw John raise an eyebrow, and shook her head, smiling a little to assure him that she was fine.

Jill sparred with Teyla first, but it was obvious that she was distracted. She soon had several welts from Teyla's sticks, and she was getting angry. Teyla soon forced Jill to the mat, and suggested that she and John spar for awhile.

John joined Jill on the mat, silently asking her if she was ready to begin. She seemed to be more focused now, and she just gave a short nod before attacking aggressively. She smacked him on the thigh much harder than she ever had before. John took it without complaining, realizing that she had a lot of issues that she had decided to take out on him for some reason.

They circled each other, feinting a few times to see if the other would react, but they knew each other's styles, now, and John wasn't about to get smacked by a stick again.

Suddenly, Jill reversed directions, attacking with both sticks at once. It was a move John had seen Teyla do many times, but he wasn't prepared for it from Jill, and he fell back, feeling stings on his arms, back and legs before succumbing to her attack, falling to the mat. Jill pinned him, placing her knee on his chest, and bringing the sticks to his neck.

If it had been real combat, it would have been a kill shot, and for the first time, John was a little disconcerted by the look in Jill's eyes. She wasn't the kind-spirited, care-free girl that he had gotten to know over the past few days. John realized that something had unleashed a different side of her, and he knew that the look she gave him now was one reserved for real enemies.

John waited a moment, and then bit his lip. "As much as I may like this, it's probably not the best position for my lungs."

Jill looked confused, and then seemed to realize what he was talking about. She blushed scarlet, and then sat up, giving him a hand to help him up as well. She looked embarrassed, and mumbled, "Sorry", before throwing everything into her bag and heading for the door.

John ran behind her. "Wait!"

She hesitated, and then slowed until he caught up with her.

"What happened back there? I've never seen you like that."

"I'm sorry. It was just…I had a lot of frustration to work out."

"Look, Jill, that was more than frustration. Now, I will happily play punching bag to your Ali anytime, but I think there are some deeper issues here. I know you probably don't want to hear this, but maybe you should talk with Dr. Heightmeyer. She's a pretty good listener."

Jill shook her head. "Thanks for the advice, but the last thing I need right now is a shrink. I'll see you later." She sped up into a jog, and took off down the hall.

John didn't follow. He knew his presence wouldn't be welcome at the moment. Besides, he didn't think the welts all over his body would allow him to move faster than his current ginger limp down the hall.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Jill reached into the crevice of the device she was studying, and watched the different lights blink as she tried different combinations of buttons. It appeared to be a short-range weather controller, hence the reason she was sitting on the balcony with an umbrella over her head, sunglasses in her hair and combat boots on her feet. She made a note of the current weather, brilliant sunshine that hurt her eyes, and depressed two of the buttons. A jagged fork of lightning spiked down in front of her, and she quickly changed it to a soft snow.

The device was truly amazing, but all she could think of was her lunch date with Carson in a few hours.

_It's not a date_. She had been arguing with herself for the past half hour. _It's reconnaissance. I'm just getting to know people._ She knew that was a lie. Her sparring session that morning had brought up a lot of memories, and she had been grateful to John for trying to help. That, of course, had only made her more upset. She wasn't sure why she had reverted to combat mode, but she would have to be more careful in the future. In the meantime, Rodney was finally beginning to relax around her, and she was really beginning to like Carson.

She was breaking her rule about attachments, but at the moment she didn't care. She hadn't been kidding when she had said she didn't remember a time when work wasn't on her mind. For an hour yesterday, she had managed to forget all about her assignment, simply enjoying Carson's company.

She checked her watch, and then tucked the umbrella away so she could get her laptop. Rodney would be sending the weekly message to the SGC in a few minutes, and she had to get ready with her own report. It was short and to the point, and she knew it wouldn't make her superiors very happy.

The computer _pinged_ to indicate that she had a signal on Earth. She quickly uploaded the file and then shut everything down. If she had done it correctly, there would be no chance of tracking the signal, but Rodney would know that someone had piggybacked something to his message. Dr. Weir hadn't reacted to the search of her office, at least not a reaction that Jill was aware of, so perhaps this would cause a little more worry.

She put up the umbrella again, and caused a short rainstorm, after which she made a rainbow.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Yes, General. The reports should be on their way. We're not anticipating any trouble, so we'll contact you again in a week. Atlantis out."

As the Gate shut down, Elizabeth headed back to her office, determined to catch up on her reports. She slowed when she noticed Rodney's expression. Hoping it wasn't as bad as it looked, she raised an eyebrow and then indicated her office. He nodded and joined her a minute later.

"Rodney, what's wrong?"

Rodney slumped in his chair. "Something was piggybacked onto our reports. I can't track the signal, I can't open the file, and I have no way of knowing who sent it or why. Either it's a faulty relay, or it's more evidence of our spy."

Elizabeth shut her eyes in frustration. Neither Colonel Sheppard nor Major Lorne had made any headway into finding whoever had searched her office. "Do you have any idea what was in the message?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. It could be something as simple as an extra report, or it could be a virus meant to wipe out the SGC! This thing could shut down the Gate network, or overload the system, or anything! I can't -"

Elizabeth held up a hand. "Rodney, I need you to calm down. Keep working on the signal. I'm going to dial Earth again and warn them about this. For now, let's hope it's something innocuous."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Jill managed to get three steps away before Dr. Weir's office door opened. She tried to look as though she hadn't just been eavesdropping. "I'm sorry, Dr. Weir, I was just looking for Rodney. The technician said he was in your office, but I can come back later."

"No, that's all right. Rodney and I were discussing a situation offworld. He'll be out shortly."

Jill tried to look innocent. "Anything I can do to help, ma'am?"

Dr. Weir looked at her with a curious look in her eyes. "Thank you, but I'm sure Rodney can handle it. Just some crossed signals. If you'll excuse me."

"Of course, Dr. Weir." Jill moved out of the way, following Weir with her eyes as she reached for the dialing device. Rodney came out then, looking distracted, and she quickly intercepted him. "Rodney, I think I've worked out all of the combinations on this device. Should I go help Dr. Zelenka with the jumpers?"

Rodney just nodded, not quite hearing her, and Jill took that as her cue to leave. As she moved to the stairs, she heard the Gate activate, and Dr. Weir's voice.

"Stargate Command, this is Atlantis. I'm afraid we may have a situation."


	11. Chapter 11

_AN: Short chapter, so I'm posting another that gets to the action. RL means real life, and I must say, it's kicking my butt right now. I was so incredibly excited by all of the reviews, though. They made me really happy._

_Enjoy and review!_

o0o

Jill hadn't seen any other evidence that Dr. Weir was working on finding a spy, so she had to assume that Rodney was still working on the signal. It would take him a while to figure out, so Jill pushed her concerns from her mind and concentrated on her work in the lab.

She had finally found a routine which she enjoyed. Every morning, she would get up at six and train for an hour with Teyla, Ronon and John. Some mornings, they would run or lift weights, but it was the stick fighting that she loved the most. She had gotten control of the combative side of herself, and John hadn't said anything more about Dr. Heightmeyer, so she figured that she had alleviated some of his concern.

After a small breakfast with the three of them, Jill headed to the lab, where she spent the morning turning on Ancient devices and conducting experiments. Rodney had finally realized that she wasn't interested in anything more than friendship, and he was soon treating her about the same as he treated Dr. Zelenka, with whom Jill had several delightful conversations about Rodney's idiosyncrasies when he wasn't around.

She met Carson for lunch every day and they would talk about Britain or the work they had done on Earth. Carson told stories about his experiences offworld and Jill told a little more about her childhood. She didn't talk much about Afghanistan or the years immediately before or after, and Carson didn't push, for which she was extremely grateful.

In the afternoons, Jill had taken to working on a balcony so she could enjoy the sunshine. Sometimes John would join her or Teyla and Ronon (who always seemed to be together), and sometimes Major Lorne would take a break from working with the marines and airmen.

She ate dinner with Carson, John, Rodney, Teyla, Ronon and Dr. Weir, with Radek or Lorne or any number of other people joining them from time to time. She was friends with all of them, though it was still difficult for her to call Dr. Weir by her first name.

After dinner, she would play piano or watch football with John. She joined Teyla on the mainland one evening and had a wonderful time with the Athosians. Sometimes, she and Carson would walk together around the city, talking or just enjoying the view from a balcony. She had been there for two weeks, and everything was normal and perfect.

And it was killing her.

After the first week, she felt so guilty and frustrated about her assignment that she had stopped snooping around at night. Her superiors wanted a witch hunt, and she knew she wouldn't find what they wanted. She hadn't sent a report at the last check-in, and it was only a matter of time before they recalled her to find out what had happened.

She didn't care. Life on Atlantis was everything she had ever dreamed of, and she didn't want to give it up just because some bureaucrats didn't like being kept out of the loop.

Besides, there was Carson to think of. He hadn't really said anything, but Jill knew that he was hoping they would be much more than friends someday.

She hoped for it too.

For now, though, she had other things to occupy her mind. John had asked her to go along on a mission to a planet Ronon had spent some time on as a runner, and Jill had readily agreed. It would be her first time offworld since she had come to Atlantis, and she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity.

She pulled on her jacket and started for the door. She paused, and then reached down to pull off the ankle holster. If seen, it would bring up questions, and her P90 and 9 mil would most likely be enough anyway. She put the gun and holster into the drawer next to the box with the retrovirus and then sprinted for the armory.


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: This was actually a few chapters, but I combined them into a MUCH longer one. We're finally getting into the part of the story I wanted to post from the beginning, but I'm a huge fan of exposition, and I can't help myself. _

_Big congrats to my friend Chris, who was sworn in to the Air Force last weekend by the Thunderbirds._

_Don't forget to review!_

o0o

"You didn't mention that this place was a rainforest."

"He told us there were trees and that it rained a lot. I'm not sure what you were expecting from that."

"Still, it would have been nice to know beforehand that I would be attacked by all of these bugs."

"Do not talk to me about bug attacks."

Jill rolled her eyes at Teyla, who responded in turn, and tried to focus on the path in front of her. John and Rodney had been bickering pretty much from the moment they had stepped through the Gate, and while it was amusing, it was also distracting.

They had been walking for about two hours, headed for what Ronon believed were the ruins of an Ancient city. The path had been cut through dense rainforest, and Jill was concerned about that. On an uninhabited planet, the path should have been covered in undergrowth. This path was clean, and there was evidence that something had traveled on it recently.

Jill knew that everyone else had noticed it as well, with the obvious exception of Rodney. He was quite oblivious to the uneasy glances of Teyla and Ronon, mostly because John was purposefully distracting him from them. Jill could see that this was a truly well-oiled team that knew each others strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else.

She caught a flash of movement and held up a fist. Ronon moved to investigate, but hadn't gone very far when Rodney started yelping. He had been pushing aside a branch when Jill had stopped, and he'd let it go without moving away. It had, therefore, snapped him in the face.

Jill walked back to check on him, seeing a small cut below his eye. She handed her P90 to John, pulling out her med bag, and began to clean the cut with antiseptic.

"Is it bad? It's bad, isn't it; I know it is, I can see the look on your face. I'm going to lose my eye, aren't I? I knew something like this would happen, the minute we stepped on this planet, I thought 'this is the place where I lose my eye', and now I'm going to die -"

"Rodney!" Jill slapped his hand, which had been reaching up to check on his eye. "You're going to be fine. All you need is a small plaster, and then we can keep going."

"OH MY GOD! Plaster! My nose is broken!"

A band-aid floated in front of his face. "_This_ is called a plaster. You have a simple scratch on your face, and you're going to shut up while I put this on. Got it?"

Rodney just nodded, cowing to the tone in Jill's voice, which sounded a lot like Carson at the moment.

"We need to get moving. Whatever you saw, Ronon says it's moved away, but I'd like to get to the city before nightfall." John kept his eyes moving.

Jill nodded, and then snapped the med kit to her backpack, and took back her weapon. "We're ready."

Rodney had finally realized that something was wrong, and he refrained from talking (much) as they walked another three miles. Ronon had just called out that the city was less than two miles ahead when they moved out of the tree line and stopped. Jill could see why when she and John moved up beside him.

There was a gorge directly in front of them. It was probably more than forty feet wide and thirty feet deep, and there was a river running through it at the bottom.

Ronon knelt at the edge. "The city is a mile and a half away once we cross. There should be a bridge…yeah, right down there."

Jill frowned as she heard rocks fall into the gorge, then turned to see a small rope bridge about a hundred yards away.

"We should get moving. I want to make it to the city and back before nightfall." John motioned toward the bridge.

They walked single file along the edge of the canyon until they reached the bridge. When they arrived, Jill eyed it dubiously. "Are you sure this thing will hold?"

John held out his hand, which Jill grabbed. Ronon grabbed her other arm to act as an anchor. John inched a foot onto the bridge, feeling it sway a little as he added more weight. "It feels solid enough. I don't know how well it will hold with more than one person." He motioned for Jill to edge carefully onto the bridge while he moved down a few more feet.

Jill stepped carefully onto the bridge, grabbing a rope as she felt it sway even more. She walked toward John, testing each step. "As long as we don't move too fast, I think it'll be fine." She glanced back at the others and then let go of Ronon's arm. "I think you're gonna need to help Rodney."

Ronon looked at the scientist and grinned. Rodney was shaking like a leaf, backing slowly away from the bridge.

"I am n-not cr-crossing that th-thing. There is n-no way, uh-uh, I am st-staying right here on solid g-ground."

Ronon rolled his eyes and stepped away from the bridge to help Teyla, who had wrapped an arm around Rodney in an attempt to propel him forward.

As soon as Ronon was away from the edge, though, the bridge began to twist wildly in the air. John was nearly thrown off of it, but managed to grab onto one of the ropes at the last second. Jill got on her knees, her arm wrapped around her own rope as she tried to pull him back onto the bridge. Before she could reach him, though, she heard a loud _SNAP_, and she turned in horror to see that the ropes had broken away from the edge of the canyon.

Jill suddenly felt herself falling. She flailed around, reaching for any kind of handhold, but she knew it was too late. Carson's face flashed into her mind, and she cried out to him.

Then she hit the water.

It was ice cold, and it tumbled her about, pulling in a dozen different directions. Jill tried to call out for John, but only succeeded in swallowing a liter of water. She choked, and the river pulled her under. She surfaced a minute later, gasping. She looked around, trying to get a glimpse of John, when she saw it.

She was headed straight for a rock. She reached for it, had almost grabbed it when the river surged again, and she felt her head strike against the rock. She blinked.

Then darkness came, and she knew no more.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Teyla, Rodney and Ronon hadn't noticed what had happened to John and Jill at first. They had been thrown off their feet when the bridge had starting swaying, and hadn't heard the ropes snap. Ronon was the first one up, and after helping Teyla and Rodney, turned to look for the other two team members.

"They're gone."

Teyla ran to the edge, searching for her friends in the water.

"Can you see them anywhere?"

"The river has probably carried them two miles by now. We need to get downstream, see if they washed up somewhere along the canyon."

Rodney started pacing. "Just how do you propose we get down there? Slide down a solid cliff face?"

"We have to help them." Teyla contemplated the gorge. "Ronon, do you think you could find a way down?"

"Probably."

"Very well. Rodney and I will return to the Gate and inform Elizabeth of the situation. We'll return with Carson and climbing equipment."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Jill awoke, not sure for a moment where she was or how she had ended up there. It was only when she tried to sit up and felt like passing out that she remembered the fall. She eased back down, trying to quell the pain long enough to think clearly.

"Remind me to never – ow! – cross rope bridges – OW! – again."

Jill turned her head, which was a really bad idea because she suddenly felt very dizzy. She heard a tiny moan escape from her lips before everything she had had for breakfast suddenly appeared beside her.

She felt a hand support her head. "Okay, just breathe, ride it out. That's it." John's voice was soothing in her ears, and she closed her eyes.

"Hey, no sleeping! You need to stay awake, you hear me? Jill?"

Jill knew that what John was saying was important, but at the moment she was too tired to care. She slipped back into the warm embrace of darkness.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

John softly slapped Jill's face, trying to wake her again. He swore loudly before setting her head gently down onto his jacket.

He had been behind Jill for most of the trip down the river, and had seen Jill slam headfirst into the rock. He had somehow grabbed onto her, holding her head above water until the river had slowed. Then he had pulled her to the edge, under the shade of a few small trees. Somehow, he had managed to hold onto his pack as well, though he wasn't sure if any supplies had survived. The P90's were gone.

His own injuries hadn't been too severe; probably some cracked ribs and various cuts and bruises, which he could live with. He was more worried about Jill. She had hit her head extremely hard, and he was worried about not being able to keep her awake. Her arm was also in an awkward position, and she probably had more than a few sore ribs herself.

He peered back up the river. "Well, now that we're down here…how the hell are we gonna get back?"

He knew that Teyla had most likely gone back to the Gate and dialed Atlantis, which meant help would be coming. Unfortunately, it would take awhile to find a way down to the river. He set about gathering their supplies, hoping something useful had survived the trip.

John froze. He could hear a noise coming toward them, like an industrial fan running at top speed. He slowly turned, and his heart sank. A ship about the size of a puddle jumper but unlike anything he had ever seen before was coming straight for them, hovering about three feet above the river.

"Not so uninhabited, then," he said wryly.

He could only hope that whoever was on the ship was friendly.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Teyla and Rodney had been gone an hour before Ronon found a good place to descend into the canyon. He walked two miles before he found a part of the cliff wall that was more uneven, providing natural handholds.

He worked his way down it, being careful not to slip. It took him almost an hour, with a few harrowing moments when he couldn't find another crevice to put his foot into. Once at the bottom, he waded downstream, searching the shores with his eyes. He had gone about a mile before he noticed a disturbance in the underbrush on one side of the river. He waded over to check it out.

Something had crawled up out of the river here. He found several standard issue military boot prints, likely Sheppard's by the way they sank into the sand. He also found a slight impression where a body had lain. It was small, which meant Jill had lain there unconscious.

There were, however, no indications as to where they had gone from there. He couldn't see any of their supplies, and there were no tracks leading away from the area. He moved further into the brush and noticed that the trees were bowed, as though swept into a whirlwind before settling again.

He knew that pattern. And he knew what it meant.

There had been a ship. And it had taken his friends.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Teyla had set a brisk pace back to the Gate, but it had still taken nearly three hours to get there. Once they had dialed in, Elizabeth had ordered them back through to report. Teyla explained what had happened, and she joined Major Lorne's team and Carson when they headed back through. Rodney had stayed behind to have his eye rechecked by another doctor.

Then it was another three hours back to the gorge, where they found Ronon waiting for them.

"You could not find a way down?" Teyla asked.

Ronon narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I found a way down. That's not the problem."

Carson shifted impatiently. "Then what is the problem? Can we get down there already?"

"Sure. Knock yourself out. Don't expect much though." His eyes had narrowed into slits and he crossed his arms. "They're not there. They've been taken in a ship."


	13. Chapter 13

_AN: Okay, so my classes are kicking my butt with homework, and I haven't had a chance to write a lot. I'm hoping to get closer to the end this weekend, so don't worry. _

_Things will be moving much faster in the story. I know it took awhile, with a lot of exposition to wade through, but I promise, there will be a lot more action._

_Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! You guys are amazing._

o0o

_Jill was falling, tumbling through the air in a bottomless cavern. She kept trying to grab onto ropes dangling around her, but her grip failed, and she just fell faster._

_Something latched onto her shoulder, and she feebly batted it away, trying to concentrate on not dying. Whatever it was wouldn't let go, and it started shaking her._

"_G'off," she mumbled._

"Jill! Jill, wake up!"

"G'way."

"Jill, its John. Please, I need you to open your eyes and look at me."

Jill's eyes flew open. She blinked, glad for the darkness around her.

"Okay, good, now can you look at me?"

Jill shifted her gaze until John's face swam into view. She started to sit up, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, helping.

"Just take it slow. We don't want a repeat of last time."

"There was a last time?" Jill felt like a sledgehammer was beating a rhythm on her head.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Jill thought back, trying to push away the feeling that her head was about to explode. "Bridge. Lots of falling. Water." She grabbed her head suddenly, biting back a moan. "Oh God, that hurts!"

John slipped his jacket behind her head. "I know. Just lay back on this."

Jill rested her head against the wall. That's when she noticed where they were. "This is not a river."

John smiled grimly. "No, it's not. We were beamed into some kind of ship. I'm guessing we're in some kind of holding cell at the moment. They took our sidearms."

"That's just great. My first time offworld and I'm already kidnapped by aliens."

"Eh. I've had worse."

"I suppose that's true. How long have I been out?"

"My best guess, about six hours. Not good with a head injury like that. Does anything else hurt?"

Jill was gradually becoming aware of the rest of her body as the pain in her head eased a bit. She moved slowly, stretching and pulling in different ways. "Definitely some bruised ribs. Quite possibly a broken foot. Scratches and bruises galore." She reached up to her head again and hissed. "Oh yeah. Dislocated shoulder."

John nodded. "You're worse off than I am. Let me wrap your foot and re-bandage that gash on your forehead. Can't do much about the ribs. Your shoulder, on the other hand…"

"Just get it back into the socket. I'll muffle the scream with this handy jacket here."

John raised an eyebrow at her stoic response. "Okay. Get ready."

He didn't give any more warning, just pulled suddenly on her arm and jerked the shoulder forward. Jill bit her lip, tasting blood, and tucked her arm against her stomach.

"I'm just…going to momentarily…pass out."

John snapped his fingers in her face. "No, you're not. You need to stay awake."

"Oh yeah." Jill bit back a groan as she tried to find a more comfortable position. "How do you propose we accomplish that?"

"We could talk. Got a favorite TV show?"

Jill smiled reflexively. "They keep cancelling all my favorites. You ever see Arrested Development or Firefly?" She began to search the room with her eyes, trying to get an idea of what they were up against.

"I loved that show! Man, the chance to fly a ship like that would make me happier than anything." John saw her frown and asked, "What's up?"

"There's no door."

He bit his lip. "I know. I've been trying to find a way out. This place is solid."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

John grinned at the steely determination in her voice, and he saw again the woman she had been while stick fighting. She wasn't asking _if_ they would get out. She was asking _when_.

"We'll figure something out."

o0o

_AN: Time to review! I'd like your opinions of Carson's reaction to this development. I'm having a bit of difficulty writing that part. _


	14. Chapter 14

_AN: Okay, there will have to be some reviews before I post on here again! I'm pretty much past the writing block for now, so we'll see how things go. I'm hoping to post again soon, but as I said before, classes are kicking my butt. I'm working on this as much as possible._

_For those of you with Facebook, my roommates are coming up with some amazing jokes about their new stalker page. Just thought you'd like to know that._

_Okay, enjoy and don't forget to review!_

o0o

Elizabeth was not happy. Major Lorne had just dialed in, and she could tell by the sound of his voice that things hadn't gone well.

"Ronon searched the entire area for more clues as to where they went, but he couldn't find anything. If they're in a ship, they could pretty much be anywhere by now." Lorne broke off for a second before getting back on the radio. "Teyla says she can't sense any Wraith, so it's unlikely that they had anything to do with this."

Elizabeth rubbed her forehead. "What are your thoughts, Major?"

"Ma'am, I recommend setting up surveillance on the Gate, just in case something does come through here. I'd also like to bring a puddle jumper here and do an aerial survey of the river."

"Very well, Major. Leave three of your team and whatever equipment they need, and then come back through for the jumper. Atlantis out." Elizabeth stared at the Gate for a moment, wishing as she always did that John wouldn't get himself into these kinds of messes.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"There has to be some kind of mechanism hidden in the walls. You can't have a room without a door." John had spent the last four hours going over every inch of the walls around them, his frustration mounting as his search continued to yield nothing. "How are you coming with that radio?"

"I still can't get a signal. The walls are probably shielding everything, which means the signals I'm sending out probably aren't getting anywhere either. Of course, the trip in the river probably didn't help, either."

John bit back a curse and resisted the urge to punch the wall. He frowned as he eyed the wall again. "Hey, Jill? There's something off about this section. It's…rippling or – What the hell!"

John backpedaled until he was standing in front of Jill. The wall he had just been examining had seemed to melt, and then to his astonishment, a figure had stepped through. He couldn't tell what it looked like because it had a large black cloak on, kinda like a monk, but it was huge, whatever it was.

He stepped forward again, hoping to keep the thing's attention on him just in case it had any wild ideas about inflicting pain on its guests. That happened a lot in the Pegasus Galaxy.

"Who are you?"

The voice was very deep, and the words were spoken slowly, as though the monk thing wasn't used to speaking.

John took another step forward, trying to appear non-threatening. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard. Who are you?"

The thing ignored him and looked in the direction of Jill. "Who are you?"

"Dr. Jillian Abbot," she answered calmly.

"You are the Ancient Ones."

John narrowed his eyes. "That depends on who's asking."

"We are Narech."

John looked questioningly at Jill, who shook her head. "We're not really familiar with anyone by that name. Could you elaborate further?"

The thing growled at him. "We are Narech. Students."

"Oh! Students. Right. Umm…what do you study?"

"Ancient Ones."

That didn't sound good. "Yeah, see, we're not Ancient Ones. We're just simple, honest folk like, well, like I'm assuming you to be. We'd just like to get back home and then we won't bother you anymore."

"Do not lie to us. We sensed you on our world. We brought you here for study."

Jill pulled herself to her feet, wincing. "You made the bridge collapse."

"That is correct."

John didn't have time for this. "Look, we're not really interested in being _studied_, so if you could just drop us off at the nearest Stargate, we'd appreciate it."

The thing swung out at him, catching him in the chest and pushing him into the wall. He slid to the floor, trying to catch his breath as Jill limped over to him.

"We will begin our study tomorrow." The thing moved back through the wall, leaving Jill to help John stand.

"You know, I'm really starting to worry about the kind of studying they'll be doing." John nodded to Jill that he could stand on his own. "We have got to find a way out of here and back to the city."

"And leave all this beauty?"

"Haha. I just don't like being away for long periods of time, especially right now."

"Oh. I see. You're worried about the spy taking advantage of you being gone."

"How did you know about -" Comprehension dawned on John's face as he realized exactly how she had known. "You're the spy."

Jill's face betrayed no emotion. "I'm an M.I.6 agent, on loan to the IOA. I was sent here to make a full report on the activities of the ranking officials in the city."


	15. Chapter 15

_AN: Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I even wrote another story, just a short oneshot about Lorne called _Standard Procedure_, because I was so happy about the reviews. Thank you all for sticking with this story so long. I promise, it'll be winding down shortly. I'm in the process of writing out the end right now. _

_Small spoilers in this chapter for the first few episodes of season three. _

_Enjoy!_

o0o

Elizabeth started at the knock on her door. She shuffled the reports in front of her and called out, "Come in."

Rodney walked into her office and sat dejectedly in a chair. He didn't say anything, and Elizabeth was suddenly very afraid.

"Rodney…is there news of John and Jill?"

Rodney started to shake his head, but then shrugged and nodded. "Nothing about the search, but I've discovered something disturbing."

Elizabeth breathed a silent breath of relief. At least he wasn't coming to tell her that they were dead. "What is it?"

"I know who the spy is."

"You were able to trace the signal?"

Rodney sighed. "No. I was able to decrypt the message."

"What did it say?"

"To IOA, agent on station in Atlantis, preliminary investigation revealed nothing, request more time to gather data, situation likely as reported earlier." Rodney paused. "It's signed J.A."

"JA?" Elizabeth caught her breath. "Jillian Abbot. She's working for the IOA."

Rodney nodded. "It's the only explanation I can come up with. I can't be sure, though, until I search her quarters."

Elizabeth nodded, stone-faced. "Do it."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

John was stunned. Jill had just admitted to being the spy in Atlantis, and she was now staring at him with an annoyingly calm look on her face.

"I'm not sure what to say. M.I.6…that's kinda like our CIA, right?" John was still trying to grasp the fact that Jill was a spy.

"It's also known as the Secret Intelligence Service. Our main objective is to gather intelligence vital to the security and defense of Her Majesty's government."

"And why, may I ask, is Her Majesty's government interested in this place?"

"It's not. The IOA is."

John was getting angry. "They already sent Woolsey to check us out."

"They wanted a more objective opinion." Jill bit her lip. "John, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

That pushed him over the edge. "You're sorry? That makes me feel so much better, to know that you're sorry you didn't tell me." He stared at her. "You betrayed us. What about feeling sorry for that?"

"I didn't betray you. I was sent to gather intelligence about the city, but I haven't done anything with it."

"Weir's office. That was you." When she nodded, he laughed mirthlessly. "You didn't betray us? You sent a message to Earth, for God's sake!"

"One message, John, one message that told them I'd have more information later! That was it!" Jill was beginning to lose her cool. "I told them that I hadn't found anything, and that I probably wouldn't! Do you think I enjoy this assignment, that I like lying to friends? I never wanted to hurt any of you, but I follow orders, John, and damned if I'm going to apologize for that!"

John rocked back on his heels, his anger spent. "We're about to be studied by the Gregorian Brothers of Pain. Why are you telling me all of this now?"

Jill smiled slightly and then sighed, rubbing at the bandage on her forehead. "I'm tired of hiding everything. I was going to tell everyone when we got back, but as that's looking less and less likely, I thought I should say something. I'm not looking for absolution here. I just…I wanted someone to understand that I hadn't betrayed you."

John nodded. He may not understand just yet, but he knew why she felt that way. When he had killed Colonel Sumner, he had felt the same need for someone to understand just why it had to be done. "What made you change your mind about us?"

She looked surprised. "What?"

"What made you change your mind about reporting on what we were up to?"

"I didn't. My orders were to find out the real story about this place, the story that Woolsey declined to tell us. I can't make a report because there is nothing _to_ report. They were hoping I'd find evidence that you and Elizabeth were withholding information, but I can't find anything to indicate that is happening at all."

John was stunned. "So…you were going to give a good report?"

"Should I be worried that this is so surprising to you?"

"No, I'm just…not used to people thinking I'm not screwing up."

Jill smiled wryly at him. "Well, don't get too excited. They'll probably keep trying to find or manufacture evidence against you." Jill frowned. "I should probably also mention that I took a vial of Carson's retrovirus. They were going to study it and then use it against you."

John rubbed his face with his hands. "That doesn't bother you?"

"I was going to put it back. They won't believe my reports, anyway, so I may as well not follow the rest of my orders."

John looked confused. "Why won't they believe your reports?"

She sighed. "I'm falling in love with the chief medical officer. That's hardly a sign of objectivity."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"What's this all about?"

Elizabeth turned to see Carson standing in the door of Jill's quarters. "Carson, perhaps it would be best if we talked about this later, in my office."

"I don't think so, lass. Why is Rodney searching Jill's room?"

"Carson…there's no easy way for me to say this." Elizabeth sighed. "We have reason to believe that Jill is the spy in Atlantis."

Carson started laughing, an incredulous look on his face. "That's daft, Elizabeth. Why would you possibly believe that?"

"Because of this." Rodney had pulled out a drawer, and was now examining its contents.

Carson and Elizabeth joined him as he pulled out a small box, a gun and holster and a small data pad.

"I had to use three different passwords to open this drawer. Whatever's in the box and on the data pad is very important to her. And God knows why she would need another gun."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because Atlantis tends to get taken over every other week. And the data pad is probably private, like a journal or something." Carson frowned. "We shouldn't be here."

Rodney picked up the box and opened it. He gave a loud exclamation and quickly put it back, rubbing his hands against his jacket.

"Rodney, what is it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Maybe Dr. Optimism should answer that."

Carson glared at Rodney, then picked up the box. He stared inside for a moment before putting it down again and walking stiffly to the door.

Elizabeth called after him, but he didn't answer or turn back. She glanced at Rodney, who pointed at the box. She took a deep breath and opened the box.

Inside was a small syringe, filled with what was unmistakably Carson's retrovirus.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Carson walked slowly back to the infirmary. He couldn't see or hear anything around him. He just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

He tried not to think about Jill.

He reached his office, told the head nurse that he wasn't to be disturbed unless it was an emergency, and then closed the door. He sank into his chair, putting his head in his hands.

He hadn't felt this awful since the whole Michael incident. Incidents.

He pulled the bottle of Scotch from his desk drawer and poured himself a fifth. Then he just stared at it.

He was in the same position when Elizabeth knocked on his door two hours later. He looked up with tired eyes, and then waved her in.

"I know what you're going to say, lass. I'd really just rather not talk about it right now."

Elizabeth folded herself into a chair along the wall. "Carson, I know you don't want to. But you have to. We all do."

"Aye, it's easy for you. You barely knew her. But me? No, I had to go and fall in love with the woman who's been spying on Atlantis. Oh, and did I forget to mention the fact that she stole a syringe full of a bloody retrovirus that I created?" Carson took a deep breath to calm himself. "You know I caught her taking it."

"You knew?"

"I didn't know she had it, but I bet I can guess when she took it. Remember when you told us your office had been rearranged?" Elizabeth nodded. "She was here that night. Probably came straight here from going through your files. Figured I wouldn't be here because I had been on duty during the day." He shook his head. "The thing is, I don't even really care about all that. I just wish she had told me before. Bloody hell, what an idiot I must be."

"Carson, we all bought into her act. She was just so perfect for Atlantis. If anyone is to blame, it's me." Elizabeth sighed. "We can't focus on that right now, though. We need to work on damage control. And we need to find her and John."

"Any luck with that?"

"Major Lorne says there's no evidence of them that he can detect with the puddle jumper. It's possible that despite our surveillance, they gated to another world. Then there's the ship, which could have taken them anywhere." Elizabeth crossed her arms. "I just don't know where else to look."

o0o

_AN: Lots of whumpage in the next chapter. I got inspired while playing powder puff football. All those bruises, you know! _

_Don't forget to review!_


	16. Chapter 16

_AN: A bit of whumpage for you in this chapter! It's been a long time in coming, I know, but we have finally arrived. I hope it doesn't disappoint. Thank you so much for the reviews! They really do keep me going._

_TheNaggingCube: Don't worry, John will be spending plenty of time in the infirmary. I know everyone is a little wary of OC fics, but I have to stick to the original premise I wrote for this story over two months ago._

_TangledPencils: I haven't decided if she's dying or not at the end. Why don't I put it to a vote? Who wants Miss 007 to go down?_

_Reyson: Thanks! I always try to put myself in their position when I write a specific character._

_helle xandria encaitarince: I love your name! Don't worry, there are more surprises ahead! And I'll try to take care of Carson the best I can._

_sherryw: They can't really stay mad when they're about to be tortured. And to answer your other review, I'll be starting a Shep and Lorne story soon. Lorne just makes me happy, and the two of them together make me hyperventilate!_

_Don't forget to review! Enjoy!_

o0o

Jill pressed against the bandage on her head, trying to ease the pressure. Her headache had been fading in and out, but now it was back, worse than ever. She knew this wasn't a good thing, but she had bigger things to worry about, so she tried to focus on what John was saying.

"Our only chance is to go after the monk guy when he comes back."

"It would be easier if we knew which direction he would be coming from."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't he come in at the same place?"

"I've been thinking about that. The Tollan on Earth used a device that allowed them to walk through solid objects. It's possible that the Narech are using a similar device. In that case, we really are in a solid room and they can come through wherever they like. I think our best bet is to wait until they take us out of here." Jill hissed softly as a particularly bad jolt of pain shot through her head.

John knelt to check her bandage. "We need to get you back to the infirmary. How bad is it?"

"I'll be fine."

He wasn't buying it. "Jill –"

John broke off. The Narech had suddenly appeared, gliding silently through the wall.

"You will come with us."

Jill nodded slightly to John, and he helped her to her feet. The Narech motioned for them to go first, waving what looked like a stylus. They walked through the wall, grimacing as a slightly oily feeling enveloped them.

Then they were through, and their hearts sank. More than twenty Narech were waiting for them, some standing guard, others working in what appeared to be an infirmary of sorts.

Jill sighed. "Well, I guess we're not getting out of here," she said softly.

The Narech behind her laughed, low and sinister. "I would not suggest attempting an escape."

Jill rolled her eyes and caught John's eye. "Seriously, why do all bad guys laugh like that? Just once, I'd like to find a bad guy that laughs like he's snorted up helium."

John opened his mouth to answer, but found he really couldn't reply to that, so he settled on a loud, barking laugh instead.

The Narech apparently didn't find any of this amusing, and they shoved John and Jill further into the room.

"We are focusing on two areas of study. We will allow you to choose."

"Is there one without pain?" John asked brightly.

The Narech pulled him to a metal table that looked like something used in a morgue. "Very well." They strapped him down with metal restraints despite his best efforts to fight them. "There will be no pain for you today. The suffering of your companion will have to suffice."

John looked on in horror as they led Jill to a bare space in the room. It looked like a shower area, but instead of a showerhead, a pair of shackles dangled from the ceiling. Jill was hoisted to the tips of her toes, her hands placed in the shackles.

John tried to stop them. "Look, I changed my mind. Do the pain study with me, she's already hurt bad enough." He pulled against the restraints, but they were solid, and the Narech merely laughed.

"You will get your turn," they said ominously.

Jill tried to stay calm, breathing deeply and trying to find the best position to relieve the pressure on her wrists. This was familiar territory for her, though she tried not to remember the last few times she had been in this position.

John looked at her with pure agony in his eyes, and she nearly broke down right then. She had betrayed his trust, and he was still willing to take her place on the line. It spoke volumes for his character, and Jill resolved in that moment to endure whatever came, to be strong in her own right so John didn't have to worry about her.

As the first jolts of electricity washed down her arms, she stared into John's eyes, determined not to scream.

John felt like shit, and the Narech hadn't even done anything to him yet. He knew there was little he could have done to relieve Jill of the pain she was enduring, but he counted it as a failure on his part anyway.

He had to admire her courage, though. She hadn't said a word as they hoisted her up, and he could tell now that she was trying not to cry out in pain, though he couldn't tell for sure what they were doing to her.

He glanced up and realized that he had problems of his own. A Narech was walking toward him with what looked suspiciously like a syringe in his hand. An assistant grabbed John's arm, holding it still, and the first Narech emptied the content of the syringe into a vein.

John bit his tongue. Fire was moving up his arm, traveling throughout his body, and finally reaching his head, where it blossomed into a bonfire, blurring his vision until it overwhelmed him and he passed out.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Carson stared out over the water, reveling in the cool breeze against his face. He had come out here to think, but he realized early on that all he could think about in this place was Jill. They had spent several evenings together on this very balcony, talking about everything. He smiled sadly. It still hurt to think about Jill, but he was realizing that her being a spy didn't matter as much as he had originally thought.

_Now you're using that misfiring hunk of matter you call a brain._

Bloody hell, even his thoughts were starting to sound like her. He thought back to a conversation they had had before she went offworld.

"_Ronon says there are some interesting things in the ruins, so we'll probably spend a few hours checking those out. I guess something in there kept the Wraith at bay." Jill stretched, working a kink out of her neck._

"_Here, let me." Carson started to massage her neck, working the tightness out of the muscle. "What d'ye suppose keeps the Wraith away?"_

"_Mmm…that feels good. I'm not sure what it could be. But Ronon was there for six days and they never came close enough to get at him. Maybe there's some kind of Ancient guardian of the place. Ooo…lower, please."_

Carson shook his head, breaking out of the memory.

He still loved Jill; there was no doubt of that. Sure, the whole spy thing could cause a few problems, but he was willing to bet that Jill wasn't the devil that Rodney kept making her out to be. So she took a vial of retrovirus. It wasn't like she had done anything with it. Maybe she just wanted to run her own experiments, and didn't feel comfortable talking to Carson about it.

Right. That was it. A perfectly good explana-

Wait. An explanation.

_Maybe there's some kind of Ancient guardian…_

He had to find Elizabeth.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Carson, slow down. I'm not sure what you're telling me."

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth, but we need to start searching through the ruins that Ronon said he found. I think it could be where John and Jill are."

Elizabeth looked at him with an incredulous look on her face. "Carson, Major Lorne has been all over that planet in a puddle jumper. There is no evidence of them anywhere."

"No, just listen. Something Jill said before she left made me think of it. We were talking about reasons for why the Wraith would leave that particular spot alone. Something about it scared them off."

"And you think it's an Ancient."

"I don't know. It could be anything, but I think it's worth checking out."

Elizabeth rubbed her forehead. "All right. I'll call in Ronon and we'll see if we can get this figured out. I want to be absolutely sure of this before I send someone else."

"That's all I ask."


	17. Chapter 17

_AN: I'm not very good at describing the torture scenes. I get too worked up over hurting my favorite people, and then I just can't go on. Anyway, hopefully you'll get the general idea. I'm getting closer to writing the final chapter. Just a few things to take care of. Thank you all for the reviews!_

_On with the story!_

o0o

John awoke to the sound of harsh coughing. He sat up, gingerly because of his ribs, and caught sight of Jill in the corner, losing the dinner their captors had been so kind to provide. He hurried over to her, alarmed at how sluggishly she moved.

"Jill, you don't look so good. What happened in there?"

She sat back, drawing in shaky breaths. "Had a lil fun with 'lectricity. Head hurs…can' see mush."

John forced her head up so he could look in her eyes. They were glassy and distant, and Jill was having a hard time focusing on anything. Her speech was starting to slur as well.

"Just how long did they have you in there?"

"Not long. Said I was unshuitable for eshaminasun in that way. Put me in here 'bout three hours before you dropped in."

John shut his eyes, trying to remember what had happened. "They put some drug in me or something. I can't really tell if they did anything else. There are parts that are still numb."

Jill's head listed to one side, and he turned back to her.

"Jill, I need you to concentrate. Is this normal for someone who's been shocked?"

Jill blinked, focusing on his eyes. She did not look well. "S'not the 'lectricity. S'the head. S'gone all…bendy."

"Jill, focus for a minute. What do you mean by bendy?" John could see he wasn't getting through to her. He was struck by a thought then, and said sternly, "Abbot, come to attention." She became still, eyes on him. "There's a patient who's had severe head trauma. Symptoms include headaches, slurred speech, weakness and difficulty focusing. What is your field diagnosis?"

Jill closed her eyes for a minute. "Could be a couple of things. Best bet is subdural hematoma, bleeding between the brain tissue and the skull."

John's heart quickened. "How do you treat it?"

"Can't…do mush in th' field. Keep th'…patient still. Surgery required as soon as possible. Avoid further injury."

"Right." John ran his hand through his hair, trying to figure out what to do. Jill's condition had obviously been aggravated by the shock treatment, and if he didn't get her out soon, there was a good chance that she would die. "Not gonna let that happen."

"Johnny…don't let me go."

John whirled to see Jill slumped over, her eyes open, but obviously not seeing anything in this world. He cradled her in his arms, searching the walls again with his eyes, hoping for a way out.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"_Johnny, don't let me go."_

_Jill grabbed onto her brother's arms, burying her face in his chest. She knew she would always be safe with her brother, but she couldn't help being just a little scared as he twirled her around in the water._

"_Sissy, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm not going to let go unless you want me to."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Would I lie to you?" He tugged on one of her pigtails as she shook her head. "Now, do you want to see something really cool? Okay, now look over there. Do you see the dark spot on the horizon?" She nodded, straining her eyes. "That's France. You are swimming between two countries, Sissy. Don't you think that's neat?"_

_Jill giggled, and then contemplated the water again. "Will you twirl me again? But promise not to let go!"_

"_I promise."_

"Broke…promise. Don' leggo."

"I'm right here, Jill. I'm not going anywhere."

Jill felt confusion as she opened her eyes. There was no water, only black walls. Her brother wasn't there, but Colonel Sheppard was, and suddenly everything came back.

"Good morning, Starshine!"

Jill groaned, but finished it anyway. "The Earth says hello."

"Hey, you've seen that one!"

"More like I know the song. Are you always this cheerful after torture?"

"Generally. How are you feeling?"

Jill laughed shortly. "Peachy."

John bit his lip, hesitant to ask the next question. "Do you remember what we talked about?"

Jill sighed. "I knew before. Why do you think I wanted to confess everything now?"

"Don't talk like that. We're going to get out of this."

"Of course we are. How long was I out this time?"

"Probably about four hours."

Jill contemplated that piece of information. "That can't happen again. I need to stay awake, or the only way I'm getting out is in a body bag."

John nodded solemnly. "So I guess we should talk about something." He adjusted his position on the floor, keeping her head still against his shoulder. "Why'd you become a spy, anyway?"

"It's a family tradition. My dad was a director at M.I.5, and my brother joined when he was twenty. I was actually going to work in the research and development department, but…things never work out the way you plan." Jill rubbed her arms, suddenly cold. "My brother died in Afghanistan. He was riding in a jeep when an IED exploded on the road. He was killed instantly."

John draped his jacket over her shoulders. "That explains why you were there."

Jill nodded. "His name was John, but everyone called him Johnny. He was eight years older than me, but we were best friends. I was devastated when I got the news. Then I heard that M.I.6 needed people as part of their task force. I signed up immediately." She smiled sadly. "Turns out, I'm a pretty good spy."

John tried to think of something to change the topic of conversation. "So you're a field medic, an explosives expert, a brilliant astrophysicist, concert pianist…is there anything you _can't_ do?"

"I'm terrible at cricket."

John laughed, and she joined in. Then they settled down, and silence reigned for a few minutes.

John stared at the wall, trying not to give in to the despair he felt creeping in. He had to believe that they would get out, that Jill would be fine.

The Narech that came through the wall a minute later seemed to laugh in the face of John's hope. It dragged them back to the medical chamber, this time reversing their positions.

John and Jill stared at each other, one last determined look of shared resolve before the experiments began.

o0o

_AN: Yes, its John's turn. And don't worry; Atlantis is getting closer to figuring out what is going on. Next chapter: what they do to John and the return of Lorne!_

_Don't forget to review!_


	18. Chapter 18

_AN: Short chapter. I've been plagued by plot bunnies for oneshots this week, and I haven't been doing homework, so this will have to do for a bit. Thanks for the reviews!_

_Oh, and I don't recommend going to see _Hollywoodland._ I did not enjoy that movie._

o0o

Elizabeth hadn't been expecting much to come from Carson's theory, so she was surprised when Major Lorne knocked on her office door, announcing, "We've found something."

Elizabeth waved him in, and seeing Ronon behind, waved him in as well. "Something in the ruins?"

"There are no ruins."

Elizabeth sat back, unprepared for the cold answer from Ronon. "Explain."

"When we did the aerial survey, we weren't cloaked, thinking that if Colonel Sheppard or Dr. Abbot saw us, they would send up some kind of signal. When we went back this time, we decided to cloak the jumper, thinking that if something _were_ down there, it would be better if they didn't detect our approach." Lorne scrubbed his face with his hands. "When we got there, we couldn't find any sign of the ruins we had seen before. Instead, we found a ship, unlike anything we've seen before."

"How is that possible?"

"Our best guess is that the ship has its own cloaking device, but something much more sophisticated than ours. It can project an image, such as ruins of a city, and keep the ship hidden from sight. Since they didn't know we were there, though, they didn't see a need for the cloak." Lorne rolled his eyes. "At least, that's how Dr. Z explained it to me."

"Okay, but Ronon, you said you were in the ruins. How is that possible?"

"I don't know. All I know is what I can see with my eyes, and I saw that ship plain as day. You can bet Sheppard and Abbot are in there."

"Let's assume that's true. Would it even be possible to get them out?"

"Maybe. We'll need three jumpers, all cloaked until we reach the ship. Then we decloak one and demand our people." Lorne gave her a confident smile.

"Ronon?"

"It'll work."

"Do it." Elizabeth stood. "And Major?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"I'm coming with you."

He nodded, and then walked out the door, tapping his earpiece to call in his teams.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

John wasn't sure how long they had been in the lab, but he was definitely sure that his own little pain experiment had lasted longer than Jill's. _Probably knew I could tolerate more at the moment._

He had seen part of what they had done to Jill, injecting her with the same knock-out drug he'd been given before. He tried to stop them, to tell them not to let her sleep, but they had just upped the wattage on the amount of electricity coursing through his body, so he had decided to shut up. He didn't know what they did to her next, but it involved more syringes and surgical knives, and he knew it wasn't good.

Unfortunately, his own experiment had been less than pleasant, and he didn't even remember being dragged back into their prison.

He was numb at the moment, probably from the electricity, but he knew that he would be in a lot of pain when it wore off. His muscles were twitching constantly, all over his body, and he had deep cuts on his chest. He was pretty sure that they had just been testing how sharp the knives were for that one.

Then they had suffocated him, over and over, testing how long it took him each time to pass out from lack of oxygen. He didn't really remember what they had done after that, but his throat was raw, mostly from the suffocation, but also partly from the screaming.

He had tried not to scream, but as more and more pain had been added, he couldn't stop himself.

Fortunately, they hadn't seemed to care about getting any information from him.

He tried to move again, and was rewarded with little tendrils of pain shooting up his legs. Feeling was slowly coming back, and while he knew that would be considered a bad thing by most people, he really needed to be able to move. He could see Jill's hand out of the corner of his eye, and for the past hour he'd been awake, it hadn't moved.

He was afraid she was already dead.

o0o

_AN: Next chapter: the rescue. Let's just hope everyone is still alive by the end of it. Don't forget to review! I keep getting all these hits and then only three reviews. Sad day._


	19. Chapter 19

_AN: Thank you so much for the reviews! I love knowing what you guys think of the story, and I am incredibly grateful for your encouragement._

_TangledPencils: They are sneaky, and I'm still hoping for the alien bum-kicking as well._

_Reyson: I rewrote a bit of this to add a little more emotional content based on your review. Don't worry, though, I don't think I can bring myself to make Carson and John suffer too much._

_sherryw: I'm sorry you had to wait so long. I'm afraid there will be a bit more torture for you this week, though._

_hellexandriaencaitarince: I had to laugh when I thought about Jack and Jill. It's a difficult name to work with._

_aubryonedae: I'm hoping to put a few more Firefly references in here. Long live the Browncoats!_

_Aaunty­Pasta: I'll try to keep them coming quickly. I know the chapters are short, but I'm evil and like cliffies!_

_Maraena: Thanks, I try really hard to get the characters right._

_ElizabethBartlett: The oneshot plagues continue, but I've made a vow to write no more until this is done._

_Okay, so this is a shorter chapter, I'm sorry about that, but I've been doing a lot of rewriting to make this story even better. You've all been wonderful for hanging with me this long. _

_I'm going to a conference later this week, which means there probably won't be anymore updates for at least a week. I'll make up for it when I get back, though, I promise._

_Enough of me! Enjoy and review!_

o0o

Marcus Lorne was very good at his job.

He had been a part of the Stargate program for several years, but had wanted to join the Atlantis expedition from the beginning. Circumstances hadn't allowed for it, but when the chance came a year later, he jumped at it.

Since that time, he had performed his job to the best of his ability, and he knew he was up to the challenges it presented.

He just wished he had known before coming that his official job description would be 'rescue Colonel Sheppard (and team, should they succumb to his penchant for disaster) when he is captured by hostiles.' He also wished Colonel Sheppard wasn't so good at giving him work to do.

At the moment, he was sitting in a cloaked jumper, flying Dr. Weir to the alien ship that most likely held Sheppard and Dr. Abbot. He hoped that the aliens were just interested in negotiating trade, and were at that moment signing a treaty with Sheppard.

He sincerely doubted that, however.

He spotted the ship on the horizon, and maneuvered the puddle jumper so it hovered directly over the central portion. He knew the other jumpers would be moving into position on either side, waiting with weapons at the ready. He glanced at Dr. Weir, who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat.

"Are you ready?"

She took a deep breath, and then nodded. Marcus hit the switch for communications, and then decloaked the jumper.

"This is Dr. Elizabeth Weir addressing the inhabitants of the ship beneath our current position. I believe you are holding two of my people. I would like them back."

There was silence for a moment, and then a deep voice came over the radio. "There are none but Narech here. Please leave us in peace."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't take your word for that. My people were seen on this world, and as we can't find them anywhere else, your ship is the only logical place left to look."

More silence, then, "We do not negotiate with strangers. Leave, or be destroyed."

Weir nodded to Lorne, who sent a signal to the jumper on their left. It decloaked a moment later, deploying the weapons pods.

"We are not without our own resources. And as I've introduced myself, and you've introduced yourself, I think we're past the 'strangers' part and have moved on to being acquaintances. Now, if you would like us to part as friends, then I suggest you give me my people now."

Marcus had to admit, it was a pretty good speech. He just wished the Narech or whatever they called themselves could see Dr. Weir's face at the moment. _Hell, if she directed that look toward me, I'd probably spontaneously combust. _

He guessed the Narech had been doing some deliberation, which involved much arguing, because when they got back on the radio, they spoke with a very hurried, out-of-breath bluster.

"There is no need to resort to violence. We were merely engaged in research projects involving your Ancient Ones. As they are currently unsuitable for further exploration, they may be returned to you. You may send a representative to claim them."

Marcus shut off the radio. "Well, that was easier than I expected. Trap?"

"Most likely. What should we do?"

"I'm gonna have the other jumper stay cloaked and on alert for any trouble." He peered into the forest. "And then I'm going to land, go in and get them."

"Who said you would be the one going, Major? I'll be doing it myself." Elizabeth turned her spontaneous-combustion glare onto Marcus, and he tried not to visibly cringe.

"Like bloody hell you're going. The Major cannae go because he needs to shoot things out here if there's trouble. And you're not going, Elizabeth, because you are far too valuable to this expedition. I am the logical choice, both as a doctor, and as the man with the most invested in this rescue! God knows what kind of research these Narech things were doing on them! And damned if I'm going to leave Jill in there any longer. And the Colonel, of course."

Marcus suppressed a grin. Carson had insisted on coming with them, citing Colonel Sheppard's penchant for getting injured. And he had to admit, his argument made sense.

Elizabeth, however, was shaking her head. "Carson, I can't let you walk into a trap."

"It's not your choice this time, lass. I'm going."

Elizabeth started to argue again, but then seemed to realize that he was deadly serious. She bit her lip and then nodded to Marcus. He set the jumper down, and then handed Carson a 9 mil.

"If there's any trouble, shoot first. Then radio for help. We'll be listening."

Carson swallowed, and then hit the switch for the back hatch. He got five steps toward the ship when a beam swept him up, and he was gone.


	20. Chapter 20

_AN: I know you've all been waiting an incredibly long time for this update, but I'm finally back from my conference, so the updates should be more regular now. You all made a wonderful guess about Carson being an idiot, but it just shows how in love he really is. I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review! We're getting close to the end and I would appreciate any and all ideas you have._

o0o

Carson was struck by the utter sterility of the room into which he had been beamed. He took in the metal table and instruments, and shivered as he imagined what they could be used for. The room reminded him of a morgue, a thought that did not improve his mood. As he made a complete circle, he was struck by another thought that made him grip his gun tightly.

He was alone.

"Hello?"

_Oh, very good, Carson. That was original._

He did another circuit of the room, examining various pieces of equipment and searching for a door of some kind. He was about halfway around when the wall he was standing in front of started to ripple. He jumped back as something, he supposed it was a Narech, walked through.

"Bloody hell!"

The Narech turned toward him. "You are an Ancient One."

Belatedly, Carson remembered that these things did research on people with the ATA gene. He gripped the 9 mil a little tighter in his hand, his hand hovering near his radio. "No, not really. Listen, I've got some really powerful friends, and they are quite eager to kick a little alien bum. So iffen ye don't mind, I'd like to be taken to the others already."

Carson was a bit surprised by his outburst, but he tried not to show it. The Narech seemed to be thinking about what he said, and it wasn't trying to kill him, so he supposed that was a good sign.

Finally, the Narech gestured toward the wall. "Follow."

"Through the wall?"

The Narech didn't say anything, just walked back the way he had come. Carson raised an eyebrow, and then took a deep breath before stepping through.

He emerged into the antithesis of the room he had just left. It was dark and the smell was overpowering. He forgot all of that when he saw the room's occupants, however.

He saw John first. The man was sprawled out in the middle of the floor, his arm tucked protectively around his chest. Carson bent next to him and saw that he was conscious, though his eyes were glassy and he had a strange grin on his face, like something confused him.

"Lad, I need you to look at me." Carson pried the Colonel's arm away from his chest. His eyes tightened as he saw the various cuts, some of which looked infected. He felt John's forehead, grimacing as he felt warmth radiating into his hand.

"Doc? 's at you?"

Carson smiled as he saw John's eyes focusing, but he was worried that the Colonel couldn't seem to manage more than a harsh whisper.

"Aye, lad, it's me. Can you tell me what hurts?"

"Easier…to tell you what doesn'."

Carson turned to the Narech behind him, trying to contain his anger. "Just what kind of experiments were you doing!"

"One involved pain. The other was a medical procedure. They will be fine."

"Fine!" Carson turned back to John, searching for other injuries. He knew something had to be very wrong if John was admitting to being in pain.

"Cars'n. Jill's…hurt bad."

Carson's blood ran cold, and he glanced around the room to find the woman. His eyes rested on a corner, where he saw a hand amidst dark clothing. He forced a smile for John. "You just rest for a minute. I'll take care of her."

"Subdural…hematoma."

Carson stopped in his tracks, praying he'd heard wrong. "What, lad?"

"S'what she said. Hematoma. From the river."

"Oh God. That was four days ago." He could see the panic and concern on John's face, and he tried to be reassuring. "It'll be all right, John. I'm going to take good care of her."

He gathered up his bag, and headed for the corner. As he got closer, Jill's dirt-grimed features became clearer. He saw a blood encrusted bandage covering one side of her forehead. Jill was curled up into a ball, one arm already in a sling, clamped around her ribs in much the same way as John's had been. He hesitated before placing his fingers against her neck, and sighed with relief when he felt a faint thrumming. He smoothed back her hair, whispering a silent prayer of thanks that she was still alive.

Carson probed gently, searching for broken bones or sign of a spinal injury. When he couldn't find any, he rolled Jill gently onto her back, cushioning her head with his jacket. He peeled back the bandage on her head and examined the wound. It was a deep gash, but that part of it was already healing. He could feel the swelling that was a sign of a hematoma, and he cursed silently.

He looked over at John, who very obviously couldn't walk, and contemplated the situation. Then he turned to the Narech.

"Neither of these people are ambulatory. I mean, they aren't going to be walking out of here anytime soon. How do you suggest I get them off of your ship? And remember, my friends will bloody well blow you off the face of this God-forsaken planet if you try anything else!"

The Narech stared at him, and then pulled a small device from his robes. He flipped a switch, and Carson, John and Jill were suddenly outside of the ship again, meters away from the puddle jumper.

"Lorne, get your arse out here!"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Elizabeth and Lorne had been waiting nervously just inside the jumper since Carson had been beamed unexpectedly onto the ship. Now, they moved fast to get Carson's med team to the injured personnel.

Elizabeth slowed as she came upon the scene. She was horrified to see John and Jill so still and…well, dead was the first word that came to mind.

She sighed with relief when she saw that John was moving his arm slightly. Carson was hovering over Jill, though she couldn't see exactly what he was doing. He caught her eye, and nodded toward John, a silent request that she knew all too well. _Keep him calm._

This had always been her job, to be a stabilizing presence in the midst of chaos. She knelt next to John, making sure she wasn't in the way of the medical team, and grabbed his hand. She gasped when she saw his chest, and felt a deep anger stir within her at what had been done to her people. She tried to force it to the back of her mind and focus on John.

She saw his eyes open and leaned in. "John? Can you hear me?"

"Eliz'beth?" he whispered softly.

"Yes, John, it's me. Can you tell me what happened?"

John moved his head so he was looking at Jill. "Is she dead?"

Elizabeth looked over at Carson, and her heart constricted at the look on his face. He was trying so hard not to let his professional mask slip, but she could see that he was terrified at the thought of losing Jill. He looked up at her, and she raised an eyebrow. He shook his head and shrugged.

"No, John. She's not dead." _Not yet. _

He closed his eyes, and she gently shook his shoulder. "John, you have to stay awake."

He opened his eyes a bit and looked at her, but she could tell he wasn't really paying attention to anything. "She's the spy, you know." He said it calmly, almost rambling.

Elizabeth was surprised. She hadn't expected John to know that. "Rodney found out. We'll deal with that later."

"No. Not her fault. I don't want you to blame her."

John sounded more coherent now, but Elizabeth knew he was getting too worked up. She squeezed his hand and tried to be reassuring. "It's all right, John. Let's just concentrate on getting you both better."

Carson sat back, wiping a hand across his forehead. "I think we can move them now. We need to hurry back to Atlantis."

They loaded John and Jill into the jumper and took off. Lorne told the jumper that was still cloaked to wait a few minutes to make sure the ship didn't do anything to stop them. Then they headed for the gate. When they were close enough, they dialed in, and Carson relayed instructions to his staff. Then they were through the gate, safe in Atlantis at last.


	21. Chapter 21

_AN: I am so incredibly sorry that this took so long to get out. I haven't had a chance to write anything this week because I had to catch up on homework and then my compy broke and it took forever to get it fixed. Anyway, I have it back now, and I am busily writing the last few chapters. _

_In this chapter, you should note that I am not good at medispeech or any kind of doctory things, so just go with the flow and try to ignore any errors I may have made. Once again, Nick Strauhan is not mine. He is the property of Titan5, but I like him so much I just have to use him. Read her stories to find out more._

_Thank you for all of the reviews. I am always overjoyed when I see more waiting for me!_

The Return, Part 1 _was amazing and I don't think I can wait that long to see what happens. I am seriously losing sleep over this!_

_Anyway, enough of my rambling. On with the story! Don't forget to review! I still need ideas for the ending. There's the possibility of a sequel, but I don't really like writing sequels, so I need a better way to end this so I can avoid that._

o0o

Dr. Nick Strauhan wasn't sure what to expect as the puddle jumper carrying his latest patients ascended into the bay. He had brought four nurses and the mountain of equipment that Carson had asked for. He knew things were bad, but he didn't know how bad until the jumper hatch opened and he saw Carson working frantically on Jill.

"Nick, I need you to take care of John. Jill's vitals are all over the place, and she's already crashed once on the way here. Is Dr. Aron prepping the OR?"

Nick grabbed hold of John's stretcher, pulling him out of the jumper and beginning a preliminary assessment of his injuries. As he looked over the notes the med team had made, he tried to think of a good way to answer Carson's question. He shrugged. _Honesty is the best policy._

"Dr. Aron has been confined to quarters, per my order."

Carson gave him a questioning look. They were running through the halls of Atlantis with their respective patients, but Nick still felt the hardness in his superior's glare, and he explained.

"Dr. Biro is prepping OR. Dr. Aron said he refused to treat spies."

Nick couldn't keep the anger from his voice, but it was nothing compared to the look that Carson now wore. _I wouldn't be surprised of Dr. Aron turns up dangling off a pier in the next few days_, he thought.

Then they entered the infirmary, and he pushed all other thoughts away and focused on what he did best – keeping people alive.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Elizabeth and the other people on the jumpers had been largely ignored upon their arrival in Atlantis. A nurse had told them to report to the infirmary _much_ later for post-mission check-ups, and then had hurried away to help the doctors.

Lorne had dismissed his men and then gone to the Control Room to wait for the third jumper with Ronon and Teyla in it to return. That left Elizabeth, who immediately radioed Rodney and told him the situation. She then headed for the infirmary, knowing the others would meet her there.

This ritual had become all-too-familiar to the members of John's team. They settled in the waiting room after asking one of the nurses to keep them informed. Ronon and Teyla joined them after a short time, and then they waited.

After two hours, a nurse came in, and they asked her how things were going, but she just shook her head and took Elizabeth, Ronon and Teyla for their post-mission check. Elizabeth could see the flurry of activity in the operating theatres before they were taken back to the waiting room.

They had been there for six hours before Dr. Strauhan came out to see them. He looked extremely tired, but his smile wasn't forced, and they breathed a small sigh of relief.

Lorne, who had been in and out of the waiting room, stood and directed Nick to his chair. "Sit, doc. You look like shit."

Nick chuckled. "Thanks, Marcus. That's…nice."

"Yeah, yeah, enough already. How's the Colonel?" Rodney didn't look up from his laptop, but he wasn't typing anything, and they knew how important the answer was to him.

"He's been through hell," Nick said bluntly. He knew they wanted to know exactly what had happened. "He has two broken ribs, along with several deep cuts all over his upper torso. Some have become infected, so we're pumping him full of antibiotics to fight that. He's had some major trauma to his esophagus and vocal chords, and his lung function has been compromised somewhat."

"What does that mean?" Ronon crossed his arms, very obviously not liking what he was hearing.

"It appears that he was strangled several times in succession."

Teyla and Elizabeth gasped, Rodney turned green and Ronon and Lorne fingered their sidearms with dark looks on their faces.

"There's more. We think the aliens performed some type of surgery on him. We won't know for sure until he's awake, but there is a surgical scar on his abdomen. We'll keep an eye on it, but I'm more worried about another problem. He's having micro-seizures in every muscle of his body. He's undergone some kind of electro-shock treatment with high-voltage electricity. This is causing some problems with his heart, and we've had to put in a pacemaker to be sure his heart beats regularly."

Elizabeth put her head in her hands.

Rodney, with his usual bluntness, asked, "Is he going to live?"

Nick bit his lip. "Yes, if we can keep up with the infection and stabilize the seizures. He's breathing on his own, though we've given him an oxygen mask to make it a little easier. We've also given him some muscle relaxant and mild pain relief. We don't want to give too much right now and mask other problems, but it's taking the edge off."

"Can we see him, Dr. Strauhan?" Teyla asked.

"Very briefly. He's asleep, and quite frankly it would be better if he remained that way for awhile. Follow me." He led them through the infirmary to the back corner, John's unofficially permanent spot.

They clustered around him, Elizabeth and Teyla holding his hands, Rodney pacing nervously around the bed, Ronon and Lorne standing at the foot with their arms crossed, looking uncomfortable.

They each whispered their words of encouragement or command to get better, and then followed Nick back to the waiting room. Teyla and Ronon left to work off some energy after getting Nick's promise to keep them informed. Rodney gathered up his laptop and went to find food. Lorne had stayed in the infirmary to get his post-mission check, radioing the rest of the marines and airmen to join him. Elizabeth stayed behind.

"Nick, I need to ask you some other questions. Can we sit?"

He nodded, knowing what she was going to ask.

"How's Jill?"

He hesitated for a moment. He had spoken with one of the nurses who were helping in the OR, and he knew that Jill's injuries were severe. He just wasn't sure how much to tell Elizabeth.

"She's not doing well. She's been in surgery since you got back. She has a subdural hematoma, which under normal circumstances is bad enough. But this one went untreated for four days, and the bleeding has expanded considerably. Carson's had to drill a hole in her skull, and it's relieved some of the pressure, but there are complications."

Elizabeth knew the seriousness of the situation. "What kind of complications?"

"It appears Jill underwent some of the same electro-shock treatments as John. Seizures are common with hematomas, and with the combination of the electricity, she's been having some pretty bad ones. Carson and Dr. Biro are trying to stop them, but it's a touch-and-go process with the surgery. To add to all of that, she has a broken foot and a dislocated shoulder, but those are relatively minor compared with everything else."

"How's Carson holding up?"

"He's pulling out all the stops on this one, Dr. Weir. If Jill lives through this, it'll only be because of him."

Elizabeth nodded. She knew Carson would do everything in his power to keep Jill alive. "What's the situation with Dr. Aron?"

Nick frowned. "If he's not killed before the _Daedalus_ gets back, then he'll be taking a trip back to Earth. And if we have anything to say about it, he'll be brought before a medical review board and will have his license revoked."

"I don't understand."

"Dr. Weir, every doctor here took an oath to never do any harm. When Dr. Aron refused to help Jill for personal reasons, he crossed a line. I mean, I'll be the first to admit that I wanted to fire him before. But for this, I'd let someone put him against a wall and shoot him."

Elizabeth looked slightly taken aback. "I do hope you're joking, Nick."

He sighed. "Mostly. I don't tolerate doctors who think they can play God with other people's lives. I can't in good conscience refuse to treat anyone, even if he had been trying to kill me five minutes earlier. I ran into a lot of this type of thing in Afghanistan. I hated it then, and I hate it now."

Elizabeth could see now why people always said Nick and John were so much alike. They had the same looks, yes, but they also had the same mentality about honor.

He stood, stretching. "I should get back and check on John." He held up a hand when she started to speak. "And I'll be sure to keep you informed about both of them."

Elizabeth nodded her thanks, and headed back to her office, sure that no work would be done until she knew they were both safe.


	22. Chapter 22

_AN: WARNING! I am moving very fast through these last few chapters, so if you feel like I'm shortening things, it's because I am. I realize that I'm having characters do certain things that would ordinarily be anathema, but for the sake of the story, they had to be done. This warning applies to all future chapters. And please remember the medical thing I talked about last time._

_Thank you so much for the reviews! I was quite pleased, and I'm trying to stick with the goals I originally had for this story. To answer Reyson's question: I have not forgotten about the babies, though I may be changing the title and summary because I got off on a tangent and didn't get to the babies as fast as I had planned. So, as well as suggestions of possible endings, I also need suggestions for a different title._

_Thanks for sticking with me on this! You're all wonderful and please keep reviewing, 'cause it makes me incredibly happy!_

o0o

"I'm just saying, I'm not this lazy when I'm in the infirmary, I don't see why he should be."

"Rodney, he's suffered severe injuries. He needs his rest, and he cannae get it with you here blabbering on all the time!"

John awoke to his least and most favorite sounds in the world. Machines were beeping in his ear, which meant the infirmary, and Carson and Rodney were arguing in the background, which meant he was home.

"You guys…wanna keep it down?" His throat still felt raw and scratchy, and his voice came out in a whisper. "Tryin' ta sleep here." He laughed at Rodney's expression, and immediately made a pact with himself not to do that anymore. It hurt too much.

"Good afternoon, lad. Good ta have you back with us!" Carson checked his vitals and made some notations on his chart.

"It's about time, too. I was getting bored." Rodney ignored Carson's look as he settled into the chair beside John's bed.

"Afternoon? How long has it been?"

"We brought you back three days ago. You've been in and out of consciousness since then. Don't you remember?"

"I remember being in the cell with the monk, and then you were there, and then Jill was -" He stopped when he saw Carson and Rodney exchange a glance. "What?" He looked around, but there were no other patients in sight. He felt a deep sense of dread crawling up from the pit of his stomach. "Where's Jill?"

"Lad…we did everything we could."

"Is she dead?"

Carson winced, and John suddenly realized that he was yelling (well, whispering hoarsely) at the one man who would care more than he himself did. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. And no, she's not dead. There's just nothing more I can do. I'm keeping her alive, but she's in a coma, and we cannae bring her out of it."

He looked so helpless suddenly, and now John could see the dark circles under his eyes and the spark that always lit up his eyes had been dulled.

"I want to see her."

"Lad, I can't possibly let you do that."

"Carson, we just spent four days being tortured, I need to see her." He held Carson's gaze, letting him see how important this request was.

"Oh, you can't be serious! He's awake for five minutes and suddenly he gets everything he wants! Since when did you stop being the horrid witch doctor who forces his patients to stay in bed a week longer than they have to?"

"Rodney?" Carson and John said at the same time.

"What?"

"Shut up."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

It took awhile to get John situated into a wheelchair. His muscles were still twitching, and the drugs that had been controlling the pain were wearing off. He could feel every stitch in his chest, and his ribs were protesting at the slightest pull. More than once, Carson suggested that they wait, but John just looked at him until he gave in. Rodney, of course, kept up a running commentary on idiot Colonel's and lovesick Doctor's until they both threatened to shoot him if he didn't go away. He grumbled about it, but claimed he had work to do anyway and left.

Carson paused before pushing John through the door to the ICU. "Are you sure about this?"

John just nodded, taking a deep breath.

He wasn't really prepared for what he saw. Jill was practically buried underneath wires and monitors, and her head was swathed in white bandages. She was very still, and the only sounds in the room were the ventilator as it pushed air into her lungs and the requisite heart monitor. There was another monitor next to that with small lines running across it. John realized that it was monitoring brain waves, and he knew it was bad that the lines were nearly flat on the screen.

Carson set the brake on the wheelchair, and then walked around the bed to a chair that was sitting on the other side. He sat heavily, taking Jill's hand in his own. He looked so plaintive and miserable that John felt he had to say something.

"This isn't your fault, you know."

Carson looked up, sighing. "I know. I just wish I could do something more for her." He hesitated. "John…what happened back there? I know some of it, but…I need to know what happened to her."

John sat back in his wheelchair. He traced the lines of Jill's face with his eyes, settling on the white bandage encircling her forehead. Her chest rose and fell in time with the hiss from the ventilator.

"Carson, I need you to promise me that if I tell you, you'll keep Kate off my back, at least for a little while. I don't need her poking around in this like she does with everything else."

Carson sat quietly for a minute, interlocking his fingers with Jill's. Then he nodded almost imperceptibly and said, "Aye, lad. I'll take care of her."

John took a deep breath, and then began, telling of their trip through the forest, the collapse of the bridge and the arrival of the ship. He told Carson about Jill's confession to being a spy and their subsequent torture by the Narech. He hesitated before telling Carson about Jill's revelation that she loved him, but he knew it was something the doctor needed to hear. When he relayed the conversation they had had before the final torture session, he could see the despair in Carson's eyes that he himself had felt at the time. He ended with his fears that Jill was already gone, and the hope that had been rekindled at the appearance of rescue.

Carson sat through it all, holding Jill's hand. He didn't interrupt John, just listened, sometimes nodding or looking like he wanted to go back to the planet and blow the Narech into smithereens. He got a bit teary-eyed when John told him about Jill's confession of love.

When John was done, they sat quietly, each with their own thoughts. John was getting tired, but he wanted to give Carson time to process what he had heard. It hadn't been easy to bring all of that up again, but it had been oddly therapeutic. It was never that way with Heightmeyer. She didn't know what these things were like, had no emotional investment into what he had been through. But Carson had seen the aftereffects of many such experiences, and he had a vested interest in what happened to Jill, so John didn't feel quite as uncomfortable talking to him.

He yawned involuntarily, and Carson broke out of his daze. He jumped up, apologizing. "I'm sorry, lad. I shouldna left ye ta sit so long, especially after everything ye've been through. Ye need your rest."

John put up a token resistance, but the truth was that he was exhausted. He gave Jill's hand one last squeeze and then allowed Carson to wheel him around.

As they left, neither noticed the small spikes in the brain waves.


	23. Chapter 23

_AN: We will now be going down with the 'ship. I need to apologize to everyone. This has gone on much longer than I had advertised, and I know I've said this before, but we really are coming down to the end. I appreciate your patience and your wonderful reviews. sherryw, thanks for your support! I doubled what I was going to post for you. helle xandria encaitarince, your review made me so happy! Sorry about making you freak out. And it was actually both Carson and John who told Rodney to shut up. I've always enjoyed the friendship that the three of them share. _

_So, here we go with the miracle. All previous warnings still apply. I should also mention that this story will continue to use Marcus as Lorne's first name, though we've learned that his true name is Evan. I've decided to christen him Evan Marcus Lorne for future stories. Speaking of future stories, I posted a new one called _Better Than Nothing._ It's a little different, but Lorne shows up and Sheppard briefly. I hope you all will stop by and tell me what you think!_

_And let's get the reviews up for this one, shall we? I'm not inspired to write unless I get some comments and advice. Thanks!_

_Update: I made some changes and reposted this chapter._

o0o

John spent the next few days alternately sleeping and catching up on all of the Atlantis news. Jill's condition remained the same until he awoke one morning to be greeted by Teyla and Ronon (did they ever go anywhere without each other?) who looked extremely excited about something. He could see nurses behind them scurrying in and out of the ICU, and Carson was directing them like a conductor of an orchestra. John raised an eyebrow, hoping for an explanation.

Teyla obliged him. "Carson believes Jill may be waking up soon."

John looked surprised. "Really? I thought he said there was nothing else he could do for her."

"Apparently she didna need any help from me." Carson walked up to the bed, doing the normal checks. "She's pulled out of the coma, and her brain patterns indicate a lot of activity. It's the equivalent of someone pulling out of a very deep stage of sleep. If ye're up to it, lad, I thought you might want to be there for it."

John nodded, grateful that Carson would be so accommodating. Carson seemed to read his mind because he chuckled. "It's a special occasion, lad. Don't think you'll always get off this easily."

John sighed and looked at Teyla and Ronon for help. Teyla simply grinned while Ronon rolled his eyes. They helped him into a wheelchair, John's cheeks burning brightly at being in a gown. When he was situated, they wheeled him into the ICU and took up places behind him.

Carson dimmed the lights slightly and sat in his chair. They made small talk for a few minutes, Carson checking the monitors every so often. After a half hour, Carson sighed and stood up. "I really thought it would be sometime soon. Perhaps this afternoon."

He was cut off by a slight noise from the bed. Carson grabbed Jill's hand and bent to check on her. John sat forward, determined not to miss anything.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she moaned again at the light. At a nod from Carson, Teyla dimmed the lights even further, and Jill's eyes opened a bit more. She took in Carson leaning over her with a huge grin on his face, John's presence in a wheelchair and Teyla and Ronon nodding at her.

"Mm'ornin," she whispered. "Someone wanna get me a flat diet Coke?"

Teyla and Ronon looked confused, and John couldn't blame them. He looked at Carson, afraid that something had gone horribly wrong.

Carson, however, was shaking with laughter, trying desperately to control himself. He finally managed to gasp out an answer. "Love, you dinnae have a hangover."

Jill reached up with her good arm to feel the bandages. "Then why does my head hurt like a flippin' pissed East Ender?"

John smiled slightly. "You got on the bad side of some monks."

She looked confused for a minute. "Umm…okay." Then a light seemed to go on and she gasped. "Oh God! Are you okay? The last thing I remember is going back into that med chamber."

John grabbed her hand, trying to reassure her. "I'm fine. You're the one we've been worried about for the past few days."

"Few days?" She shook her head slightly, and then a look of horror came over her. "We're back in Atlantis." She shrank away from Carson, tears springing to her eyes. "I want to be alone," she whispered.

Carson stepped back, upset. John just nodded at her. "We'll be here if you want to talk." He waved Carson, Ronon, Teyla and the nurses out of the room.

John waited until he was back in bed, and then asked Teyla and Ronon to tell Elizabeth that Jill was awake. Then he pulled Carson into a chair and waited.

It didn't take long. Carson punched his fist into his other hand, swearing softly. "I don't bloody understand what happened. Why did she send me away?"

John smiled sympathetically. "She remembered what happened. Not just the torture, but her confession. She's afraid of what will happen now."

Carson swore again. "Damn! I should have thought of that. I can't even reassure her because Elizabeth hasn't decided what to do yet. But she should know that it wouldn't matter to me!"

"Why? When we left, you guys were just really good friends. If I understand correctly, neither of you realized you were in love until later. The whole spy thing just adds another dynamic to the situation."

The Scotsman nodded, chewing his lip. "When did you become so bloody brilliant?"

"I've had a lot of experience with this." Seeing his friend's curious glance, he just shrugged. "It was a long time ago. Anyway, as soon as Elizabeth gets here we can discuss what will happen with Jill. Then I suggest you have a long talk with her."

As soon as he finished, John saw Elizabeth walk into the infirmary and he muttered "now that's timing" before putting on a slightly artificial grin for her. "Elizabeth! Long time, no see. We were just talking about you."

"Nothing but good things, I trust," she said brightly. Then, more softly: "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he replied. She gave him a frown for his standard answer, but she didn't get a chance to say anything else because Rodney entered the infirmary then with Teyla and Ronon trailing behind.

"I hear your voodoo has been a success, Carson. I can't say I'm entirely pleased."

Elizabeth frowned. "Would you rather Jill had died?"

Rodney had the decency to blush slightly, but he crossed his arms defiantly. "I'm just being honest. What do we do with her now?"

Carson gave Rodney a look that made him step back. "And why must we do something with her?"

Elizabeth stepped between them. "Rodney, take it down a notch. Carson, I'm sorry, but he is correct. We have to decide what to do with Jill now that we know she's the spy."

Teyla frowned. "Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe Jill has done anything to betray you."

Ronon nodded. "Sheppard says she was going to tell your Earth people that there weren't any problems in Atlantis." Ronon's stance made it very clear that what Sheppard said might as well be gospel truth.

Rodney snorted. "And you all really believe that? If it were up to me, I'd have her in restraints. Who knows what she'll do to the city?"

John sat up so fast he felt his ribs pop in protest. He ignored it, and pointed a finger at Rodney. "You keep the damn restraints off of her. First, that's a very bad idea when someone has been tortured. Second, she's not going anywhere. Third, she is absolutely no threat to the city."

Carson joined in when he was done. "An' if ye mention it again, Rodney, I'll invent a horrible disease, infect you with it, and then keep you in the infirmary for a year!"

Rodney's eyes widened and he stepped back before muttering, "It was just a thought."

Elizabeth stepped in again, holding out her hands to placate Carson and John. "I understand how you both feel about this. I'm not going to do anything right now, not when she's been through so much already. But a decision will have to be made about whether or not she should leave Atlantis."

Carson looked horrified at the thought, and John was ready to protest again, but she wasn't finished.

"I've contacted the SGC and the IOA. They're not happy with Jill and they want her to return."

John sank back, the fight drained from his body. Carson put his head in his hands. "If she's goes back, they'll tear her to pieces. We cannae let that happen."

Elizabeth smiled sympathetically. "I've done everything I can to keep her here a bit longer. I told the SGC that you wouldn't allow her to travel until she had healed further, so it's up to you when she goes. And as for her future on Atlantis…" Elizabeth bit her lip. "If she wants to, and I emphasize _if_…then I have no problem keeping her on. But she is technically part of your staff, Rodney, so the ultimate decision will be up to you."

Rodney looked around to see everyone staring levelly at him. He sighed. "I suppose she can stay." He threw up his hands and walked out.

Carson grinned, and John settled back in bed, content now that things were finally beginning to return to normal.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Carson hesitated before entering the ICU. Every time he went in to check on Jill, she refused to look at him, and it nearly broke his heart to see her like that.

He really needed to talk to her, though. He didn't think he would be able to last another minute without feeling her hand in his, without hearing her laugh.

He nodded to the nurse who came out of the room, and she smiled sympathetically, giving him a squeeze on the arm. Everyone in the infirmary knew what Jill meant to him, and while it was a bit disconcerting at times, he was grateful that they were so supportive.

Carson approached the bed quietly, unsure if Jill was awake or not. He sat in the chair and reached for her hand. When she pulled away, he got his answer and he sighed.

"Ye'll have to talk to me sometime, love."

Jill looked at him briefly. "Don't call me that."

"If that's what you wish." Carson sat back in the chair, determined to get more than a few words out of Jill. "Elizabeth was here earlier."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"It should. The SGC wants you back for questioning, but we've all agreed that you can come back to stay in Atlantis if you want to."

Suspicion flickered in her eyes. "What's the catch?"

"You have to forgive yourself."

"For what?"

Carson was just guessing here, but he plowed on anyway. "For spying on us."

She laughed bitterly, wincing slightly as she pulled on her ribs. "As I've already told John, being a spy is my job. I don't feel guilty for that."

"Then what's the problem?"

"_You_, Carson. You are my problem."

"I don't understand."

A tear ran down Jill's cheek. "You made me love you! I was a damn good spy, never had any problems. Then you show up with your damn Scottish brogue and your beautiful heart and smile and I'm a mess just thinking about you!"

She sobbed out the last part, turning away to hide the tears. Carson stood and cupped her face in his hands, turning it so her eyes bored into his. He smiled slightly, and bent down.

It was a slow kiss, starting as something made to comfort, but blossoming into passion when Jill's arms snaked around his neck. She made a small noise then, and Carson drew away, looking concerned. "What's wrong, love?"

Jill was still crying, but tried to smile. "I really shouldn't use my shoulder yet."

Carson laughed then, and she joined him. He could feel the tension ease out of her body and she looked happier than he'd ever seen her. He pulled her hand to his lips before heading for the door.

"Get some rest, love. I'll be back in a bit."

He was halfway out the door when he heard Jill say faintly, "You're a diamond geezer, Carson."

He smiled softly. God, but it was good to have her back!


	24. Chapter 24

_AN: Okay, remember when I kept saying that we were almost done?_

_I sort of lied._

_It's okay, though, because I've had a marvelous idea that will give a little more action to the ending and will only add two or three chapters at most. I know you've all been more than patient with me, and I appreciate you all very much._

_Notes for this chapter: _

_I like Aussies very much, and so does Jill. She's just grumpy. _

_I don't know how the IOA works, but I gave it a guess and just made up the rest._

_Vegemite really is disgusting. Promite is much better._

_There will be a bit more time between this chapter and the next. I'm going on a short holiday. Don't worry, though, I'll use the time to write a lot. I've got four other stories in the pipeline, but I'm waiting until I finish this one to work on those. _

_Thank you for the reviews! Getting them always makes me want to write more. (hint) Enjoy!_

o0o

_3 weeks later_

John paused at the door to the infirmary, marveling at the strangeness of it all. As a rule, he tried not to land in the infirmary, and on the many occasions when he did, he tried to get out of the infirmary as soon as possible. Lately, however, he had been making daily trips there, despite having been cleared for light duty nearly a week before.

True, he still had to endure check-ups every other day with Carson. The pacemaker had been removed the day after Jill had woken up, and his ribs were slowly mending. His throat was still a bit sore, but as long as he didn't talk too much it didn't bother him. The cuts on his chest were healing nicely, Nick's handiwork evident in the fact that there was very little scarring.

Carson was still worried about the surgical scar on his abdomen, and John had to admit that he got a little freaked out every time he saw it or thought about it. For all he knew, despite the clear x-rays, he had some kind of alien growth just waiting to pop out someday. For now, though, he was trying to forget about it.

The only real problems he still had to contend with were the muscle tremors. He was still experiencing slight throbbing pains in his arms and legs, and though his daily walks around the city were helping, there were still times when his legs would just collapse, and he would find himself sprawled on the floor.

Fortunately, everyone in the city had become used to this by now, and John usually had Ronon somewhere nearby to pull him back to his feet. It was now only slightly embarrassing to be in such an undignified position.

He smiled now as he saw Jill sitting up in bed, griping about something or other. She had been given the option of returning to Earth on the _Daedalus_, but she still hadn't made her decision about coming back and she had confessed to Carson that she would rather not travel with Dr. Aron anyway. Everyone could understand that, so they let Jill remain in the infirmary, a good or bad thing depending on who you asked. Carson, while pleased that he had more time with Jill, had told John privately that Jill was definitely in the running for worst infirmary patient. John couldn't blame her, though. Now that she was out of the ICU and could see freedom just beyond the door, he knew it couldn't be easy to sit in bed all day.

"Look, all I want is some Promite! I even brought some with me, so if you could just move your arse to my quarters and back, you wouldn't have to listen to me complain all day!"

"Love, I've told you before, there is an approved list of foods that you can eat, and Promite is not on it!

"It's vegetables and yeast! What could that possibly do to my body that it hasn't done for the past thirty years? It's not like I'm asking for Vegemite. If I ever did that, then you would _know_ something was wrong with me!"

"I'm sure Dr. Lawrence will be pleased to know you're dissing his favorite food." John strolled up to the bed, trying to hide his grin.

"Bugger off! I don't care what that Aussie thinks." Jill crossed her arms, her bad mood very evident in her posture.

John looked at Carson. "What's the problem today?"

The Scot sighed. "She has'na been feelin' well, and I merely suggested that she wait another day or two before gettin' out o' bed. We've managed to trot out a few other complaints since then."

John gasped dramatically. "Carson, never tell a woman that she can't do what she wants!"

Jill rolled her eyes, but the beginnings of a smile were apparent on her lips. "You're both hilarious. Can we please get me out of this bed, now?"

"I thought when Carson was around, all you wanted to do was stay _in_ bed." John smirked at the blushes from both Jill _and_ Carson and moved to give Jill a hand to get her feet on the floor.

"You know, one of these days your mouth will get you into serious trouble!"

"You mean, more than it already has?"

Jill stuck her tongue out at him as she swung her legs off one side of the bed. John and Carson held out their hands to steady her, but she ignored them, stubbornly holding onto the IV pole to balance herself as she slowly put more weight onto her feet. She wobbled slightly, but caught herself and stood upright, smiling triumphantly. "See? Nothing to worry about." She took a few halting steps, wincing slightly as they jarred her battered body. Carson beamed like a proud parent and John had to hold in yet another comment that was sure to earn him a slap on the arm.

Jill's face suddenly turned very white, and she looked slightly panicked. "I think I'm gonna chunder."

Carson rushed forward with a basin just in time to catch the remains of breakfast, and John was quickly at her side, helping her back to the bed. She shoved both of them away when she was settled, turning onto her side, holding her stomach with one hand and her head with the other, moaning slightly. Carson brushed her hair back, asking in a low voice if she was all right. John hovered, waiting to hear the answer.

They waited in that position for a few minutes before Jill's face regained a modicum of color and she turned onto her back. She gave a black look at Carson. "You will not use this as an excuse to keep me in here any longer than necessary. I just got dizzy. It'll go away."

Carson put on his you-will-not-argue-with-me face and prepared to rant, but he was cut off by the appearance of Elizabeth at the door to the infirmary. She looked slightly worried to see the three of them so obviously in disagreement about something, but she dismissed it with a smile at Jill. "How's the patient this morning? Still as grumpy as ever?"

Jill smiled hesitantly. She wasn't comfortable yet around Elizabeth after her confession. "I was just informing these gentlemen that I am perfectly fine."

John noticed the slight tension and tried to defuse it. "So says the woman who can't walk without throwing up. What's up, Elizabeth?"

"Two things, actually. I need to debrief Jill about the situation with the IOA, and I need to know if she has made her decision about coming back to Atlantis."

A quiet descended over the infirmary, and all eyes turned toward Jill, who looked uncomfortable. John had refrained from asking Jill about this, but he knew it had been weighing heavily on her mind. From what Carson had told him, he had tried to discuss it with her, but she hadn't told him much of what she was thinking.

Jill took a deep breath, and John knew in that moment what her decision would be. So, it appeared, did Carson, because he suddenly sighed and sat heavily in a chair.

"I'll answer your second question first. I'd like to leave within the next few days, and I won't be coming back."

Elizabeth looked surprised, and John couldn't blame her. Elizabeth was an incredibly intelligent woman, but when it came to military matters, she didn't really understand how things worked. Carson just looked resigned, and John wondered if Jill had told him more than he had let on.

"I'm not sure I understand. If it's something we've said or done, I'm sure it can be fixed." Elizabeth, ever the diplomat, tried to talk Jill out of her decision.

"I wasn't done yet. I meant I won't be coming back for _awhile_. I need to get to Earth to clear things up as soon as possible. I'm not worried about my job with M.I.6; most likely, they'll give me a commendation for not killing someone this time around, and then they'll give me some time off. If that happens, then I would like to request a research position and transfer my work to Atlantis." Carson perked up at that.

"However, I still have to face what's waiting for me back at the IOA. Even if they don't try to get me shot on some trumped up charge, it'll be difficult convincing them that I should be allowed back here. The real problem will be convincing them that things are just fine and dandy on Atlantis and that they need to take their heads out of their collective arses. And I can't do that from here."

John laughed loudly, startling the nurses in the corner. Carson chuckled and tried not to show how relieved he was that Jill wasn't leaving him forever. Elizabeth smiled. "We'll be sure to save you a place."

Jill smiled back at her, and scrubbed her hand across her eyes. When she spoke, she sounded like she had a slight cold. "Thank you. All of you."

Elizabeth just nodded. "Now, if you're up to it, I'd like to talk about the IOA."

Jill nodded. "I hope you've got time. The IOA has a very complicated power structure, and there are certain methods my government has used to deal with them that have worked in the past."

John settled back in a chair, preparing to doze through the conversation. Carson promised to be back later and went to check on other patients.

"First, if you want anything done, you have to go through Woolsey, but it has to be done indirectly. We usually talk to the Chinese first, express a concern or an idea and then act like we don't know what to do about it. They usually adopt it as their own idea and bring it up in the meetings. Then we approach Woolsey on our own or through General O'Neill if he likes our ideas. Do not, under any circumstances, bring the Russians in on anything. They have their own plans and don't like other people messing with them. Now…"

As Jill continued, Elizabeth pulled out her laptop and began taking notes.


	25. Chapter 25

Two days later, Jill was packed up and sitting in a wheelchair in the Gateroom, surrounded by other personnel who were also going home. She was complaining about the chair, a last minute addition that Carson had insisted upon, but John could see that her complaints veiled a genuine distress at leaving the place she had come to call home. He sidled up to her and lowered his voice. "You can always change your mind, you know."

She glanced down at her hands, which were twisting in her lap. Her own voice was quiet as she replied. "No, I can't."

He nodded, and made to walk away, but she grabbed his hand. "John…I wanted to thank you. For understanding."

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Anytime." With that promise, he ascended the steps to the Control Room. "Dial it up."

The Gate began to light up behind her and Jill looked at the friends she had made in Atlantis. Rodney looked slightly nervous as he came up to her. "Uh, well, good luck and all that. I thought you should know, we figured out how the Narech were able to make the ruins appear when they weren't really there. They were actually projecting a 3D image that coincided with the layout of their ship, so when Ronon was in the ruins, he was actually on the ship, he just didn't realize it. It's actually a fascinating bit of technology when you think about it…"

He faded off, realizing that this probably wasn't the most appropriate place to talk about this.

"When I get back, we can figure out how to duplicate it." Jill extended her hand, and Rodney hesitated before gripping it in his own, smiling slightly and nodding his acceptance of her offer.

Teyla and Ronon were next. She bent her head to meet Teyla's and then hugged the woman, who was slightly taken off guard before enfolding her own arms around Jill. "May the Ancestors guide you on your path." Ronon extended his own hand, and she grasped it in Satedan warrior fashion. "Bring some more weapons when you come back." Jill grinned and promised to do so.

Elizabeth moved forward next, and gave Jill a small hug. "Don't be too long." Jill nodded her thanks.

She said goodbye to Marcus and Radek and then looked at the lone figure left beside the stairs. Carson slowly walked toward her, and everyone else gave each other a knowing look before maneuvering away.

The Scot knelt before her, taking her hands in his. "I wish I could go with you, lass."

"Don't trust Earth doctors?" Jill asked mockingly, but there was a slight catch in her voice, and she was looking everywhere but at Carson.

He took her chin in his hand, forcing her eyes to meet his own. "Take care of yourself. And hurry back to me."

Jill nodded, a slow, small tear trickling down her face. "I love you."

Carson brushed away the tear with his thumb. "I know."

Jill smiled through the tears that were filling her eyes. "Be safe."

Carson nodded, and then pulled her face to his, their lips meeting with passion and fire. It was a few minutes before Carson pulled away, barely acknowledging the whistles from the marines and the cheering scientists.

Jill laughed and oriented herself to the Gate. She looked back once before she went through. "I'll tell your mum you said hello."

Then she was gone.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Carson wandered the halls of Atlantis, at a loss as to what to do with himself. Normally, he would be eating dinner with Jill or walking with Jill or doing any number of things with Jill. But Jill was gone, at least for a little while, and he was stuck on his own.

He made his way to the commissary, not because he was hungry, but because there were usually people there and he didn't feel like being alone at the moment. He hesitated in the doorway, scanning the small crowd for a familiar face. Having treated most of the expedition at one time or another, he knew most of the people there, but he was hoping for more sympathy than the marines could give and less sympathy than the scientists would want to give.

His eyes lit on the corner, and he smiled slightly and headed in that direction. He snagged an apple before sitting across from the only person who would have a clue as to how he was feeling.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, Colonel."

John looked up from the files he had been reading, shaking his head. "Not at all. Actually, I've been making bets about how long it would take everyone to get here. I figured you'd be first."

Carson grinned. "Care to make a wager that Teyla and Ronon are next?"

"First pick at the next movie night says Teyla will walk through the door first."

"Done."

John went back to his reports, and Carson finished his apple, both glancing at the door from time to time.

Ten minutes later, Carson laughed and slapped John on the arm, pointing at the door. Ronon was standing there, an evil grin on his face as two new marines tried to edge past him.

John rolled his eyes and stood, catching Ronon's attention and waving him over. Carson was laughing uncontrollably, and when Ronon asked why, John simply replied, "We'll be watching _Braveheart_ at the next movie night. For the fifth time."

Carson grinned smugly at John before turning back to Ronon. "Where's Teyla?"

"She's dropping stuff off in her room." Ronon scratched his head. "Why do people keep asking me that?"

This time, John was laughing as well and Ronon just shrugged, still confused, but willing to consider their behavior as something peculiar to earth-people.

There were more jokes when Teyla arrived, and then they had to explain everything to Rodney when he straggled in a few minutes later. They had to wait a bit longer for Elizabeth, but they kept themselves occupied with stories and attracted more than a few stares from the other expedition members.

Carson surveyed his friends as they greeted Elizabeth. Life had changed a lot in the past few weeks, but their camaraderie, their spirit had not changed, but had grown stronger. Carson was grateful for their support, and he knew he would always be able to count on them, but he couldn't help but feel that a huge part of his life was now missing. Jill had been more than a link to his home; she was his guide, his life, and without her there, he wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Hey Doc! Tell Elizabeth that story about Jill and the pissed Brahms."

John's voice broke into Carson's reverie. Carson laughed, and silently thanked John for bringing him back into the group conversation without mentioning his previous silence. He saw the confusion on Elizabeth's face, and the expectant looks of Teyla and Ronon, and he began to launch into the tale, trying to be as animated as Jill had been.

It wasn't as good as having her there. But it was better than nothing.

o0o

_AN: No notes. Just REVIEW! I need some encouragement to keep writing._


	26. Chapter 26

_AN: I'm sorry it took me so long to post this. Life has been incredibly crazy and there were hospitals and lots of bad feelings involved, and I didn't want to subject you to all of that._

_So, here we are. I must say, I was a little wary of taking the story in this direction, but the darn thing pretty much wrote itself, so this is how it ended up. I'm nearing the end of what I have written, and I'm guessing there will be three or four more chapters after this. I hope you enjoy!_

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It was incredibly encouraging, and I hope you'll do the same this time around._

o0o

_3 months later_

Jill paced in her quarters on the _Daedalus_, trying to get rid of the tension that had been building ever since she had come on board. She had sent a short message to Carson, telling him to expect her on the next trip, but she hadn't said anything else, and that worried her almost as much as she knew it would worry him.

It hadn't been easy to convince Caldwell to give her a ride. Yes, she was a member of Atlantis' science staff, but the man had had a strong dislike for her since she had foisted a piano on him. And present circumstances weren't helping things at all.

Things back on Earth had gone much as Jill had thought they would. M.I.6 had given her an indefinite leave of absence, as long as she sent back periodic reports about the city, something she fully intended to tell Elizabeth about as soon as they arrived.

The IOA had been a bit harder to deal with, but they were having problems of their own with the SGC, who didn't appreciate their interference in Atlantis' affairs.

So, she had gotten off lightly, but she was still worried about her reception in the Pegasus Galaxy. A lot could change, _had_ changed, in three months time.

"_Attention all personnel: we will be arriving at Atlantis in 20 minutes. Please report to your designated departure areas."_

She couldn't put this off any longer. She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Dr. Weir! The _Daedalus_ reports that they are 20 minutes out."

Dr. Elizabeth Weir glanced up from her paperwork to see the gate technician standing in her doorway. "Well, this is somehow familiar. Have the senior staff meet me on the way."

Elizabeth began the familiar trek to the South Pier, walking slightly faster than was necessary. This was always an important day, as everyone looked forward to fresh supplies and new people. But there was something extra special about this trip, something Carson hadn't stopped talking about since he had received the message from Jill nearly three weeks before.

John joined her halfway, Rodney trailing behind as usual, his eyes glued to his Palm Pilot. Carson was already waiting with Teyla and Ronon, fidgeting nervously. John gave Elizabeth a knowing smile and threw an arm around Carson's shoulder.

"You look a little nervous, Doc. Not expecting someone, are you?"

Carson didn't smile. He kept his eyes on the _Daedalus_ as she landed, barely sparing a glance for the arrival of his friends. "I hope so."

John frowned, and stepped in front of Carson, forcing him to look at John. "What's up? When you got that message from Jill, you were giddy as a school girl!"

Carson spared a wince at the expression, but answered John's question. "I've done some thinking since then."

John looked slightly concerned. "Please don't tell me you don't love her anymore."

Carson was horrified at that suggestion. "Bloody hell, of course I still love her! It's just that…I was reading over her letters, and the first few I got were normal, but then they started getting shorter, and it seemed like she didn't know what to write about anymore. I didn't notice it at the time, but then I got that message, and it was so damned _short_, and I'm just not sure what to expect!"

Elizabeth put a hand on Carson's arm. "You should have told us before. I'm sure things are fine."

"We're about to find out," said Rodney, pointing at the line of people now streaming from the ship.

Elizabeth scanned the crowd, searching for Jill among the crowd of marines, scientists and various _Daedalus_ crew members. She spotted Colonel Caldwell heading in their direction, and he appeared to be escorting someone, though she couldn't make out the person's face as they were slightly hidden behind Caldwell's height.

Caldwell gave her a nod as he approached, then turned to say something to the person behind him. Carson grinned suddenly, and Elizabeth could see that the woman Caldwell was speaking to was Jill, though she was wearing a long coat and had a bag blocking most of her body.

"Good afternoon, Colonel. I trust the trip was uneventful?"

Caldwell allowed a small smile. "No pianos this time, if that's what you're asking."

Carson was fidgeting. Jill had stopped a few feet behind Caldwell, and Carson was itching to go see her, but didn't want to interrupt the conversation between Elizabeth and Caldwell.

Elizabeth laughed. "So Jill didn't cause any problems this time around?"

Caldwell's grin faded. "Well, I wouldn't say that. But perhaps the good doctor would be able to explain things a bit better." He waved Jill forward, and she gave him a grimace before coming up next to him.

"Hello everyone. Good to see you again."

Something was wrong, and Elizabeth was having a hard time figuring out what it was. Carson and John looked as confused as she felt.

Jill glanced at Caldwell, who looked pointedly at the bag Jill was carrying in front of her. She gave a sigh and dropped it to the ground, and then opened her coat.

Elizabeth gasped, and immediately wished she could take it back. The bulk of the bag had been hiding Jill's body, but now that it was gone, Elizabeth could see what Jill had failed to tell Carson in her letters.

Jill was pregnant.


	27. Chapter 27

_AN: Okay, I must warn you. Updates will be a bit sporadic as I am participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I have an amazing idea for a book, but to get it done in time, I'll have to write about three thousand words a day. Slightly ambitious, I know, but I'm going to try to do it._

_I'll attempt to keep this story up as much as possible. There isn't a whole lot to go now, so you shouldn't have to wait long._

_Thanks for all the reviews! Perhaps, if I get a lot, I'll forgo my novel until this is done. (Hint) Enjoy!_

o0o

The new members of the expedition were streaming past the small group on the pier, glancing curiously at the shocked expressions on all but two of the faces. A few recognized the senior members of the Atlantis team, but they appeared to be focused on a woman who looked suspiciously thick around the middle. It was none of their business, however, and they simply moved on.

Jill crossed her arms and refused to look at Carson, who appeared to be having trouble breathing. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this in my message, but I knew you wouldn't let me come back like this, so I just hid it. Colonel Caldwell found out on the way here, but we came to an…understanding…and he agreed to transport me." She snuck a peak at Carson. "I'm about three and half months along."

Carson's eyes widened at that piece of information, and Elizabeth barely had time to react before he began to topple. John was faster, though, and set him gently on the deck, calling for Kelly to come take care of her boss.

Rodney just stared at Jill, his mouth open in surprise. "Huh…and I thought Kirk here would be the first person to knock someone up."

"Not helping, Rodney!" John gave him a harsh look before glancing at Jill. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she took off into the city. John started to go after her, but Teyla caught his arm and pointed at Ronon, who was already following Jill.

Elizabeth coughed in surprise. "You're sending Ronon after her?"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Ronon walked through the halls slowly, searching for a sign of Jill. He knew it was a bit odd that he would be the one looking for her, but he and Teyla had both seen the anger beneath the tears, and knew that what Jill needed most at the moment was someone to talk to or hit a lot. Since Ronon was quite a bit larger than her and not nearly as emotionally invested as Sheppard, he took on the challenge.

_For a pregnant girl, she does a good job of keeping quiet._ Ronon was an expert tracker and huntsman, but he was not known for his patience, and there were literally hundreds of places he could search for Jill. He did not, however, want to take the time.

"Jill! It would be easier if you would just come out and tell me where you are!" He paused at a cross section of hallways, trying to decide which one to take.

He suddenly heard music coming from one of the lounges, and he realized that it was the Earth instrument Jill had brought on her first trip. He paused in the doorway, and watched Jill in fascination. She was intently focused on the music, a melancholy song that seemed to fit perfectly with the tears streaming down her face.

Ronon cocked his head and slowly entered the room. "You're good."

Jill didn't look up, just kept playing. "It's the one thing I learned to do just because I wanted to. Was there something you wanted? Or do you just randomly search Atlantis for brassed off pregnant women?"

"Just figured you might want some company from someone who didn't care one way or the other that you're having a kid."

"I'm not really in the mood to talk."

Ronon perched on the edge of a table. "Think the Doc might be adverse to that."

The song sped up, but Ronon couldn't decide if that was because that was part of the song, or because Jill was so upset. "Carson? I just traveled to a different bloody galaxy for him! While I was pregnant, no less! What more does he want?"

"I don't know. An explanation for why you didn't tell him about this? I mean, if it were me, I would have liked a little warning about being a father."

Jill froze, the song echoing in the small room. "There's a little problem with that."

Ronon was confused. "You mean he did know?"

She smiled bleakly, finally turning to look at him. "No. I mean he's not the father."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Carson sat up, crossly waving away Kelly and John. "I'm fine, dammit. Canna ye give a man some space?"

They all backed away, allowing him to stand. He brushed off his pants, pointedly ignoring the significant looks they were throwing his direction. He was a bit embarrassed by his reaction to Jill's announcement, though he still believed it was more than warranted.

Of all the things he had expected or feared, this had definitely not been one of them.

"So Carson…" John was attempting to break the shock that had befallen the group. "I guess congratulations are in order." He smiled weakly, not sure how his comment would be taken.

Carson was equally unsure as to how to respond. Three and a half months ago, Jill had been in the Pegasus Galaxy. Carson didn't think Jill was the type of girl to sleep around, but he could think of few other explanations for Jill's unexpected pregnancy.

He sighed. He really needed to talk to Jill.

John was still looking expectantly at him, so he mustered up a smile. "Aye. I guess they are." _Just not for me._ "Elizabeth, if you dinna mind, I'll be taking the rest of the day off. I'll let Dr. Strauhan know that he's in charge."

He didn't give Elizabeth time to answer, just turned on his heel and walked in the general direction that he knew Jill would have gone.

He got halfway back to the city before he heard voices from the lounge, and he decided to check it out. Sure enough, Jill was at the piano, talking to Ronon. Carson leaned against the door jam, fully aware that he was eavesdropping.

"How do you know the kid isn't the Doc's?"

Jill rolled her eyes at Ronon. "Carson and I were involved, but not in that way. I was slightly injured at the time."

"You mean you didn't have sex?" Ronon looked slightly confused at that notion.

"Not so much, no."

"Isn't that kinda required for kids?"

"Yes, thank you for the obvious, Ronon! I'm just as confused about this as you are." Jill put her head in her hands. "All I can think about is what Carson must think of me. I would never do this to him, but I don't know if he'll believe me."

Carson stepped into the room. "I do believe you."

Jill stood up, fast enough that she had to grab Ronon's arm to keep from falling over. Ronon steadied her and then nodded to Carson.

"I'll leave you to talk then."

Carson smiled his thanks to Ronon and then took his place leaning against the table. Jill sat again and raised her eyebrows. "So…not upset?" She began to play softly.

Carson recognized it as _Scotland the Brave_ and smiled slightly. "Not upset so much as confused. You could have told me about this, you know."

"I know. I didn't want to be told I couldn't come, though. And I was worried about what you would say." Jill sighed. "Carson, I have no idea how this happened. I talked to the doctor on Earth, and he said everything was normal, except there's some scar tissue around the ovaries and uterus that I definitely didn't have before I came here."

Carson looked at Jill sharply. "Scarring? I don't remember that."

"It wasn't visible until they did some scans." Jill saw his brow furrow and stopped playing. "What's wrong?"

"I won't know for sure until I do some tests." He activated his radio. "Colonel Sheppard, could you meet me in the infirmary, please?"

o0o

_AN: In case you were wondering, the first song Jill was playing was _Moonlight Sonata_. It's my absolute favorite song to play, and I figured it was appropriate since it's rather melancholy. Now hit the lovely button below and tell me what you think!_


	28. Chapter 28

_AN: Longer chappie for you today. I've been stalling on my novel, so to get the creative juices flowing I did a little work on this. Good news, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we're down to the last few chapters. _

_Oh yeah, and questionable medical procedures below. Don't hold it against me._

_Thanks to everyone for the lovely reviews! I'm trying to keep this from being predictable, but sometimes that is unavoidable. I've said this before, but I always swore I'd never write a fic like this. It just won't leave me alone! Anyway, I hope you're still enjoying it and will continue with the reviews!_

o0o

John was slightly creeped out walking into the infirmary. Carson didn't normally call him there unless he had missed a check-up or something had gone wrong with a patient.

He sincerely hoped neither of these were the case.

Jill was sitting cross-legged on one of the infirmary beds, fiddling with a ring on her right hand. She looked up when John entered, and she gave him a slight frown before turning in the direction of Carson's office.

"Carson! Get your arse out here! John's arrived," she yelled.

John thought that was a bit excessive, but had to revise his estimate when Carson ran out of his office like the Wraith were chasing him. Just to be sure, John peered into his office. Nope. No Wraith.

"What's this all about, Doc?"

"Just a minute, Colonel. Love, we should probably take this someplace more private." Carson looked at Jill to see her nodding in affirmation, and then motioned for everyone to follow him back into his office.

Jill shut the door behind her, and John turned to face the two of them. "Should I be worried?"

Jill glanced at Carson, and the two had a silent conversation with their eyes before Jill motioned to a chair. "Perhaps you should sit down."

"Uh-uh. I want to know what's going on, and I want to know _now._"

Jill narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Carson, if you will."

Carson nodded, and moved to stand next to John, placing a hand on his arm. He stared at the floor, trying to figure out what to say.

John was rapidly losing patience. "Will you just tell me, for God's sake?!"

Jill crossed her arms. "John, Carson is not the father of my child. Well, children, actually. I'm having twins."

John looked at Carson, who bit his lip. "It's true. We never, ah, well, what I mean to say, it was never the right, um…yeah."

Jill cut in. "What Carson means to say is that at the time I was getting pregnant, I was either on the Narech world or just getting back. Now, seeing as I was either being tortured or in a coma, there is only one viable option as to how I got pregnant."

John wasn't sure where this was going. "Okay…what does this have to do with me?"

Jill sighed. "Do you remember that scar on your abdomen that Carson couldn't figure out?"

John nodded.

"I got one at the same time."

John was confused. "I still don't get it."

"And they made you the military commander…" Jill rolled her eyes. "John, we're pretty sure that the Narech were experimenting in reproduction, which means that the two kids swimming around in my uterus could very easily be yours."

John stared at her, trying to comprehend the enormity of what she was saying. His mind was fogging up, and he decided that it might just be a better idea to faint…er…pass out.

So he did.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Carson caught John on the way down, and set him gently on the floor. He glanced at Jill, who sighed and opened the door to get smelling salts. "I told him to sit down," she muttered.

"You could have softened the blow a bit."

"How soft did you want me to be? He was incredibly dense about it! I'm not used to having to spell things out like that." Jill went to the supply closet and retrieved the needed supplies. She tossed them to Carson when she reentered the office, and then perched on the corner of his desk.

Carson held the vial under John's nose, trying to wake him. "All right, lad, let's go." John's eyes fluttered, and Carson patted him on the shoulder. "There we go. Can you sit up?"

John looked confused for a moment, and then his eyes rested on Jill and they narrowed slightly. He pushed Carson away, and half-stood, sliding into a chair before he straightened all the way. Once he was settled, he crossed his arms and glared at Carson, who had joined Jill by the desk. "That never happened. I did _not_ faint just now."

The corner of Jill's mouth trembled a little, but she quickly suppressed it and replied, in all seriousness, "I certainly didn't see anything."

Carson sighed, bringing John's attention to bear on him. "All of this banter is very cute, but cannae we focus on the issue? We have some questions to answer."

"Yeah, like how do we know for sure I'm the father?"

Jill shot John a poisonous look. "I'm not any happier about this, believe me. But if it'll make you feel better, Carson can do a blood test. I certainly won't ask anything else of you."

John opened his mouth, and then closed it as he reconsidered what he had been about to say. "That's not what I meant. I just…I wanted to make sure that my kids were entirely, shall we say, _human_."

"The tests will rule that out," Carson interjected. "I can take some samples and have the tests done in about a week."

"I'm sorry, John. I never meant to put all of this on you." John and Carson looked at Jill, who was trying to hold back tears. "I'll understand completely if you want no part of this. We don't even have to tell anyone."

Carson wrapped an arm around Jill, and brushed her cheek with his fingers. "I would be more than happy to put my name down on the birth certificate, if that's all right with you, love."

Jill smiled through her tears, and wrapped herself in Carson's hug. "It's up to John. You weren't expecting this, and you deserve a say in the babies' futures."

John took a deep breath, and then another. Everything was happening so fast, and he was having a difficult time taking it in. "I…well, I need a little time to think about this."

"We do have a few months to discuss things. It doesn't have to be decided right now." Carson smiled sympathetically. "Why don't we wait for the test results?"

John nodded gratefully. "I'll have an answer by then."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Nearly a week later, John was headed back to the infirmary. He had done little over the past few days besides think about his future. Rodney had been bugging him since the day after Jill had come back, trying to figure out why his normally playful best friend had been so, well, angsty. Even Elizabeth had expressed her concern, though rather more diplomatically than Rodney had. Ronon, naturally, had told Teyla as much as he knew about the situation, and they had confronted John, who had asked that they give him some time, a request they thankfully heeded.

John went on just one mission that week, a simple survey of an abandoned planet. He had delegated the other offworld duties to Lorne's and Tipton's teams, ostensibly to give them more experience, but the real reason was quite a bit more complicated. He had spent the past few days holed up in his office, which had aroused Elizabeth's suspicion since John normally spent as little time there as possible. Rodney had been offended when John had refused to tinker with Ancient devices, and had spent a good half hour ranting before John had forcibly removed him from his office.

He knew he was being a jerk, but he really needed time to think. True, it had never been part of the plan to find a nice girl and settle down as a flight instructor or something equally as boring, but he hadn't ruled out the possibility of being a father entirely. He just hadn't expected it to happen quite this way.

As he neared the infirmary doors, he paused to clear his head, and to make sure that he was making the right decision. He took a few deep breaths, and then walked through the doors. He nodded to Kelly and Dr. Strauhan, who appeared to be having an important discussion of their own, judging by the giggling and blushes, and then knocked on Carson's office door.

It opened almost immediately, and John saw that Jill had beaten him here. Or rather, it was more likely that she had already been there. She and Carson had rarely been seen apart from one another, aside from when Carson was working with a patient and Jill was working with Radek. Carson had even joined in on Jill's training sessions with Ronon and Teyla, claiming that while exercise was good during a pregnancy, he had to make sure Jill wasn't overworking herself.

Nobody bought the act, but nobody cared, as Jill's arrival had brought a breath of fresh air to the city. Besides, most of the expedition members had family back on Earth, and they weren't going to begrudge Carson and Jill their happiness at being together.

Carson waved John to a chair, and, remembering his last visit, John sat.

"Well, I suppose you both know why you're here," Carson began.

Jill rolled her eyes. "Can we cut the theatrics, dearest?"

John smiled a little. "Actually, before you begin Carson, I wanted to say something." He waited for their nods, and then bit his lip. "I've been thinking a lot this week about what you both said, and I've come to a decision. No matter what those test results say, I want to be involved in these kids' lives. I'm as excited about this as you guys are, and I know everyone on Atlantis is thrilled about it."

He took a deep breath, and Carson and Jill waited for him to continue. "As much as I want to be a father, though, I don't think that's my right in this situation. Your love for each other is absolute, and Carson, you will be a much better father than I ever could be." He held up a hand to keep them from interrupting. "I will still be there for them, no matter what, and I will always do my best to protect them. But they deserve a sense of normalcy that I can't provide." He sat back in the chair, and waited for their response.

It wasn't what he expected. Jill punched Carson in the arm, and he laughed, shaking his head. "I never said I was good at reading people."

John raised an eyebrow, and Jill quickly explained. "Carson and I were discussing this, and I told him that you would concede fatherly duties to him. He was convinced you would want all that it entailed." She became serious. "John, I want you to take as much part in raising our kids as you want to. Even if you're not the biological father, Carson and I were going to ask you to be their Godfather."

As soon as she said it, she knew it was a mistake. John's eyes lit up, and he had a mischievous grin. "Sweet! Do you consider me to be more of a Marlon Brando or Al Pacino type?"

Jill groaned. "Carson, quick! Before he starts with the quotes!"

"Right. Well, you'll be happy to know that there is no alien DNA. The children do have the ancient gene, which should be particularly strong since John is in fact the biological father." Carson glanced at John, who was nodding. "Last chance to change your mind, John."

John smiled. "I would never dream of taking this away from you. In fact, in honor of the occasion, I brought a little gift." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two cigars. "Sorry, Jill, none for you."

Jill rolled her eyes, and then laughed joyously, hugging John and then Carson. John just lit the cigars, and raised an eyebrow at Carson. "You do realize she'll be really emotional now."

Jill punched him in the arm.

"See?"


	29. Chapter 29

_AN: Sorry about the length of time between posts, but life is getting crazier. First I crashed my car and then I had a little trouble with a friend, but hopefully the length of this will make up for the amount of time it took to get it up here._

_I must say, not many reviews for my last chapter, but thank you to those who did review. It was much appreciated. _

_I think we're looking at one more chapter. I haven't written it yet, so I'm not sure how it's going to end. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks for sticking with this over the past few months! Enjoy!_

o0o

Over the next few months, Jill rapidly settled into a routine. Every morning, she would awaken at six to do some light jogging and weight training with Teyla and Carson. Then she would eat breakfast, hope for it to stay down, and head to the lab to work until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, when she met Carson for lunch if he was available. Then she took a nap, because she was rapidly learning that naps were the greatest thing ever invented for pregnant women. Evenings were spent in the commissary or lounge, talking to various scientists or military personnel.

Despite the occasional upheaval caused by Wraith or other problems, life in Atlantis was simple and wonderful. Jill and Carson announced their engagement soon after her arrival, and the wedding was set to take place after the twins were born. A poll had been started concerning the date and time of their arrival, and Jill was constantly being stopped in the halls to hear the latest ideas for names.

Jill was nearly eight months into the pregnancy when Major Lorne came back from Leris, a small planet given over to small farmers and minor industrial interests. The inhabitants of that world were trying to increase their manufacturing capabilities and were willing to trade a portion of their harvest for Atlantis' expertise. Even more important, however, the Lerisians were allowing Atlantis expedition members to use their world for short vacations and the occasional evacuation. Lorne had taken a group of scientists to Leris to oversee the implementations of new farming and factory techniques.

Jill should have known something was wrong the minute Lorne returned early, without the rest of his team. Elizabeth had called her to the briefing room, and when she arrived, she saw that Carson, John and Ronon were there already. Teyla and Rodney had gone with Lorne, and were apparently still on the planet.

Elizabeth looked up when Jill entered, and gestured to a chair. "Jill, thank you for coming so quickly."

"What's this all about?"

"We're about to find out. Major Lorne?"

"Right." Lorne was doing his best to look only at Elizabeth, studiously avoiding both John and Jill. "The negotiations have been going well. We settled on a monthly trade agreement, and Dr. McKay was directing the scientists with the technology stuff. The leader, Tarl, and I were discussing the possibility of building a few recreational areas for Atlantis personnel."

Lorne looked down at his hands. "And that's when everything went to hell."

John sat forward. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well, sir, if you'll remember, the Lerisians worship several fertility gods, and they are very interested in nature. Anyway, Tarl had asked if his people would be able to use whatever facilities we put in place, and I told him I'd have to check with you, but that it shouldn't be a problem. Then Dr. McKay entered the conversation."

John groaned, and Lorne nodded gravely. "Yes, sir, you're beginning to understand. Tarl asked how many people we would be sending each month, and I told him that we hoped to use it mainly for rehabilitation purposes. Then Dr. McKay mentioned that it would be a perfect place for Jill to have her baby. Tarl went nuts."

"Why?" John asked in confusion. "If they have fertility-based worship, why would he-no." John stood, shaking his head. "Absolutely not, Major."

"What's the problem, Colonel?" asked Elizabeth.

Lorne answered for him. "As the Colonel has guessed, the Lerisians want Jill to come to their planet now. They have refused to finalize negotiations unless they can talk to her, and…well, they want her to bless their village."

"She is not going anywhere near that planet. We don't even know what Gate travel would do to her." John crossed his arms, his opinion on the matter very clear.

Jill rolled her eyes. "_She_ is sitting right here, _Colonel_." John winced at her use of his rank. "I don't appreciate decisions like this being made without my input. Besides, Radek has already looked up information concerning pregnant women going through the Gate, and there are no safety concerns. Elizabeth, if it's all right with you, I'd like to go."

Elizabeth pursed her lips. "Gate travel may be safe, but we can't guarantee your safety on the planet."

"Aye, love, there are all kinds of infections that can be picked up offworld." Carson chimed in to the conversation, earning a black look from Jill.

"Look, John and Marcus can bring all the marines they want to protect me, and Carson, you can inoculate me to your heart's content, but the bottom line is that these people won't negotiate without me, and we need what they have to offer. We're a bit short on allies out here, and if I can help, then I will. I'll be there a day, two tops, and then we can all come back here and everything will be fine." Jill pleaded with Elizabeth. "Please, I just want to do something useful around here."

Elizabeth glanced around the room. John shrugged, and while Elizabeth knew he didn't like it, she also knew he had a soft spot for Jill. Carson was dead set against Jill going. Lorne and Ronon followed John's lead and offered tacit support for the arrangement.

"This isn't an ideal situation, and I wish I didn't have to make this choice. But ultimately, Jill is right. We need all the friends we can get, and since Jill is willing to do this, I'm going to allow it. Colonel, prepare a team. I want you to make sure she gets back here safely. Carson, I'd like you to go as well."

Jill grinned broadly, and after a few whispered words in Carson's ear, he brightened considerably, though he still looked slightly put out.

As the team headed through the Gate, Elizabeth hoped she'd made the right decision.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Leris was a beautiful world, covered in rolling hills that gradually ascended to great heights outside of the village where the Stargate was. There were trees, of course; there were always trees, but these were full of vibrant colors, and when the wind blew, the ground would be showered with blossoms. It was a wonderful place for relaxation, and Jill was glad that she had been able to come.

The Lerisians weren't offended by Jill's heavy guard. If anything, they approved, and were happy that the Atlanteans revered a pregnant woman as much as they did. Tarl received Jill at the Gate with much reverence, and he led the group to the village temple, where special guest quarters had been made up for Jill. He left her to the care of several village women, who proceeded to kick out Sheppard and his team so they could prepare Jill for her blessing.

Needless to say, Sheppard wasn't happy about that, but he had to content himself with camping outside her door.

Jill was a bit overwhelmed at the attention she was receiving, and more than a little annoyed at the fawning of the women.

"Oy! Doesn't anyone get pregnant around here?"

One of the women, Tarl's wife, laughed. "Of course, but it does not occur often. We must carefully control our numbers in order to better hide from the Wraith. Each woman is allowed two children, and she must receive the gods' blessing before she can conceive."

"Right-o, then, I guess I understand. Not a very easy way to live, is it?"

"We do what we must. Are you ready?"

Jill fingered the silky fabric of the robe she was wearing. "As I'll ever be, I suppose."

"The priest is waiting for you inside. He will teach you the blessing, and then you will come out and proceed through the village to the fields, where you will recite the blessing."

"Let's do it then." Jill opened the door to her room. John and Carson tried to hide their grins at her outfit, and Jill pinned them with a stare. "Not a word, chaps. Not a word."

They walked through the village, people beginning to follow them, whispering excitedly and pointing at Jill's rounded stomach. Jill tried not to roll her eyes, and instead focused on keeping her balance on her swollen feet. Carson kept a light hand on her elbow, ready to catch her if anything went amiss, but Jill managed to make it to the temple without mishap.

Tarl was waiting for them, and he extended a hand to Jill to lead her into the temple. She took it, and they began to walk toward the ornately carved doors. John began to follow, only to be held back by the villagers. He fought against them, but they would not let him go near the temple.

"No one may enter the temple on a blessing day save for the village elder, the priest, and the one giving the blessing. It is forbidden!" Tarl's wife tried to explain to John.

Jill called out to him from the door. "John, please, I'll be fine. If no one else can get in, then there won't be anything to harm me. Please. I'll be out in a few minutes." She smiled at the group, and then entered the temple.

It was a beautiful structure, and Jill could see that it was very well-taken-care-of. There were cloth drapes around the walls, each depicting an image of village life. Some concerned fertility and all that it entailed, and Jill tried not to stare when she saw those.

Tarl halted, and directed her down a passage. "I must leave you here. You will find the priest at the end of the hall. He will teach you what you need to know."

Jill didn't like being left on her own, but she began to walk down the hall, studying the walls. There was something familiar about them, though she couldn't guess what it was. She filed it away in her mind for further investigation later, and continued down the hall. It opened into a large room with beautiful furnishings. Incense was burning somewhere, and it smelled like jasmine.

She glanced around, looking for the priest, but couldn't see anyone.

"Hello?" _That's original, Jill._ "I'm here for the blessing…thing."

"Indeed."

Jill whirled around, searching for the owner of the voice. A dark shape detached itself from a shadowy corner, and Jill began to feel a deep dread creeping through her. She tried to run, but she was too slow, and she felt cold hands grasp her shoulders.

"What a pleasure it is to see you again."

Jill tried to scream, but a white haze began to spread through her mind, and the last thing she saw was the Narech's face staring down at her.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

John paced impatiently outside the temple. Tarl had rejoined the group nearly ten minutes before, and John didn't like not knowing what was happening inside.

"How long does this take, anyway?"

Tarl tried to calm him. "There are many rituals to perform. Your woman should be coming soon."

"She's not-oh never mind." John continued his pacing.

Carson laughed quietly, but he was starting to worry about Jill as well. He tried to mask it while talking with Tarl. "So you have only one priest?"

"Indeed. We have no need for more, and the temple would not house another."

"So this priest stays in the temple all the time?"

"Oh yes, he shows his devotion to the gods by dedicating his life to their service."

"Do you choose your own priests?" Lorne asked, curious.

"No, the gods have always chosen them for us. A new priest usually comes every few years. In fact, our current Narech only arrived a few months ago."

John's heart stopped, and he prayed he'd heard incorrectly. "What did you call him?"

"He is the Narech." Tarl furrowed his brow in confusion. "What is the matter?"

John didn't have time to answer. He was already running for the temple, calling Jill's name. He burst through the door, P90 in hand, and began searching the rooms. Lorne and the rest of the team fanned out, searching other rooms.

Ten minutes later, John ran out of the temple and started searching the skies. Carson grabbed his arm, and John saw the worry in his eyes. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Doc. She's gone."


	30. Chapter 30

_AN: No long notes in the beginning. I'll save those for the end. So, without further ado, the final chapter in the saga. _

_Enjoy._

o0o

"I do not appreciate being abducted. Especially in this dress!"

Jill paced in the small room that she had occupied on her previous stay with the Narech. She had awoken nearly three hours earlier, and since that time had used every curse she had known and then invented some against the aliens.

"I'm serious. This is not going to end well! Your arses are going to be fried for this!"

So far, her efforts had been ignored, which just served to make Jill more determined. Besides, time spent cursing her captors was time she didn't have to think about what would happen to her unborn children. She pressed a palm to her swollen stomach, feeling the tiny flutters that were her twins.

In all honesty, Jill was terrified of what the Narech might be planning.

Then she felt something change within her body, a sharp pinching sensation, and she prayed that the sudden appearance of the Narech had nothing to do with the fact that she was going into labor.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

John and Elizabeth were in the middle of an argument.

"I know you want to get her back, but we don't know the situation. We don't even know if she's on the planet."

"Yeah, and we won't know until we go there and find out! Elizabeth, I don't understand the problem here. We need to move, the sooner the better!" John was pacing in Elizabeth's office. Lorne was gathering strike teams and prepping the jumpers.

"I want Jill back as much as you do, John, but I have to think about the safety of the extraction teams. What happens if the Narech have a surprise waiting for you? What if they're not even there?" Elizabeth was trying to be reasonable.

"Then we improvise. Please, Elizabeth! The longer she's there, the more I worry about what they're doing to her." John was pleading, something Elizabeth never though she'd see from her military commander.

"The _Daedalus_ has been rerouted, and is on its way to the planet as we speak. Colonel Caldwell should be able to handle things, and he'll be able to tell us what to expect there."

"Look, Elizabeth, Caldwell doesn't know what the hell he's dealing with, and he won't be able to execute any of the plans we've worked out with the jumpers. Now, I'm all for having him there as backup, but I'm not about to leave this up to him."

Elizabeth chewed on her lip for a second, and John waited for her decision, albeit somewhat impatiently.

"All right. You have a go, but I want you to let Caldwell know what's going on." John headed for the door. "And John?" He turned, waiting. "Bring her home."

He nodded, and then walked out of Elizabeth's office. He motioned to Carson, who had been waiting in the control room.

"Well?" Carson asked.

"We're going."

They ran for the jumper bay, and quickly boarded their ships. They were taking five, two with ground assault teams, the other three prepared to fly cover and threaten the Narech from the air.

It was a quick trip to the Narech world, and the jumpers cloaked as soon as they were through the Gate. They flew to where the ship had been the last time.

There was nothing there.

No ship, no ruins, just dirt and a few rocks. John cursed, and slapped the jumper console with his hand.

Text began to scroll across the screen. _What do we do now?_

John ran his fingers through his hair. It was a message from Carson, who was following the non-verbal communications protocol for the mission. If the ship was gone, he had no idea of where it would go and no idea of where Jill was.

That was not an option.

He flipped the communications switch, and sent a short text message to the jumpers. _Go to blue._

Immediately, the three aerial jumpers uncloaked, and began running search patterns. John and Carson took their jumpers straight up and hovered at 15,000 feet, where they stayed watching the jumpers below. They could hear scattered radio chatter, but they didn't respond.

"I'm not picking up anything on the sensors."

"Take the search out to a ten mile radius."

"No life signs, no structures, just a lot of nothing."

"If they're here, I can't find them."

"They must have taken the ship somewhere else."

"All right, let's head back to the city and figure out where to go from there."

The jumpers sped back to the Gate. John monitored their progress, and as soon as they were through, he oriented his sensors back toward the ground.

Still nothing.

_This had better work_, he thought.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Jill was very close to panicking.

The minute she felt her water break, the Narech had rushed into the small cell. They dragged her into the medical chamber, strapping her into what was now a birthing chair. She fought against them, but her efforts were hampered by the contractions that were coming faster and faster.

Jill was more worried that she had gone into labor. It was possible that the stress had induced it earlier than normal, but she had a sneaking suspicion that the Narech had done something to her. "Why are you doing this? I am not giving birth to my children on your freaking ship!"

"We promised to return you because you were no longer suitable for our research. That has now changed. You will be removed when you have achieved your purpose," he replied ominously.

Jill's breath caught, and not just because of the pain she was experiencing. "What about the twins?"

"We will take care of them."

"Like hell you will!" Jill pulled on the restraints, but only succeeded in cutting into her skin. "When my friends get here, they will rip you to shreds!"

The Narech sneered. "Your friends have been and gone. We disguised our ship in a different manner. They believe we have taken you to a different planet. There will be no rescue."

Jill sagged back into the chair. There had to be some mistake. Carson and John and the others had to be coming! They wouldn't leave her.

Another contraction came, and Jill tried to hold back the tears that sprang to her eyes.

"It will not be long now," said the Narech.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

It had been nearly an hour since the other jumpers had gone. John and Carson were still circling the place where the ship had been, hoping for a miracle. They had been having a long conversation via text messages, and Carson could tell John was getting more and more upset.

_What's taking them so long?_ John sent.

_It hasn't been that long. And it's possible they aren't even here anymore._

_NO, I refuse to accept that. This is their favorite tactic, and I'm not leaving until they get rid of that effing cloak!_

_Are you sure they can't detect us? _Rodney had insisted to Carson that the jumpers could not be detected in any way with his modifications. Carson wasn't entirely convinced.

_If they can, I'm going to kill Rodney._

_Not if I get to him first._

The jumpers circled for another fifteen minutes, and Carson began to feel despair creeping into his soul. He refused to give up on Jill, but even he was starting to doubt John's theory that the Narech had simply changed their cloaking device.

And then he saw it on his sensors. Far below, a ship had just materialized out of thin air.

A message appeared on Carson's console. _You ready for this?_

Carson's smile was more than feral, and anyone who saw him at that moment would have doubted that his life's goal was to heal, not inflict pain.

_Let's do this._

He pointed the jumper at the ship below, pushing the speed. As soon as he was in range, he aimed for the engines and fired. Two glowing missiles hurtled at the ship, and the explosion from the impact was truly spectacular. Carson saw John's shots hit the opposite side, and hoped Rodney's analysis of where the shields and cloak were located had been correct.

They sent a short message to the _Daedalus_, which had arrived in orbit an hour before, and then Carson turned on his radio, broadcasting a message to the Narech.

"We're boardin' yer bloody ship. Ye can cooperate, or ye can die. Take yer pick."

He turned off the radio, but not before he heard muffled laughter coming from John.

A brilliant light enveloped Carson then and he found himself on the Narech ship, courtesy of the _Daedalus'_ Asgard beam. He was glad to see that John and most of the marines had joined him.

John smiled slightly. "Nice message."

Carson sniffed. "I thought it was appropriate for the occasion."

John just nodded, and then pointed down a corridor. "Shall we?"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Jill had decided something.

Well, two things actually.

First, she never wanted to be in labor again.

Second, the loud explosions she'd heard were definitely a good sound.

The Narech had not responded well to the destruction of parts of their ship. They had roared angrily and were scurrying to and fro, probably attempting repairs, but it didn't appear as though they were making much progress. Jill had cheerily offered to help, but that hadn't been taken well either.

She suddenly heard a very welcome voice on the Narechs version of a com system.

"_We're boardin' yer bloody ship. Ye can cooperate, or ye can die. Take yer pick."_

She laughed at Carson's phraseology, but quickly stifled it, turning to the Narech. "He means it, you know. I've seen him carve up a Wraith in thirty seconds flat." She smiled evilly. "Now just imagine what he can do to soft little whelps like you."

She could tell her words had an effect. About half of the Narech were heading for the door, the others trying desperately to pull them back, but not having much success.

Nearly all of them had left when Jill saw a Narech coming at her out of the corner of her eye. He was holding a long, very sharp-looking instrument, and Jill guessed from the look in his eyes that he wasn't coming to free her. She pulled against the restraints, but she was stuck. She shrank away from the Narech, desperately looking for something to use as a weapon.

She was too late. The alien hovered over her, the weapon raised above her abdomen.

"If we can't have them, then no one will!"

He raised the weapon, laughing maniacally.

Without warning, he was struck in the back by a hail of gunfire. Jill watched confusion spread over the Narechs face as he fell to the floor.

"Please…could you get any more cliché?"

Jill turned her head to see John and Carson standing in the doorway, P90's pointed at the few Narech still scattered around the room. They stepped further into the room, and Jill saw several marines behind them. They quickly secured the aliens, and then Carson glanced at John, who nodded.

"Good Lord, love, 'tis glad I am tae see ya!" Carson rushed over to Jill, undoing the restraints, and then gathering her into his arms. Jill held him tightly, tears forming in her eyes.

They stayed that way for what felt like an eternity, and it was only Jill's gasp of pain that made Carson pull away.

He looked her over, concerned. "Love, what's wrong?"

Jill rolled her eyes. "I'm in labor, you idiot!"

John appeared on the other side of the table, panic evident on his face. "What? Carson, you have to stop it!"

Carson did a quick examination, during which John looked away, his face a pale green.

"She's almost at ten centimeters. There's no stopping this now. We'll have to deliver here."

"What about the _Daedalus_? We could beam here there."

"No time, lad, these little ones are coming, and no mistake."

John backed away. "But…I'm not ready for this."

Jill grabbed his tac vest and pulled him close. "_You're_ not ready?" she hissed. "You're not the one who's bloody having twins here!"

Carson grinned, and then shouted orders at the marines. "Evans, I need you to get my med kit. Anderson, gather up whatever supplies you can find in here. They're bound to have something, seeing as how they were expecting to deliver the twins themselves." He motioned John toward the table, and then grabbed his arm and pulled him when he wouldn't come closer. "John, I need you to act as birthing coach."

John nodded uncomfortably. "What do I do?"

"Just take her hand and help her through this. We'll work on the breathing together." He looked at Jill, beaming. "Are you ready, love?"

"As I'll ever be," she replied crossly. Then she saw the smile on Carson's face, and her expression softened. "Are you?"

Carson knew she meant more than just delivering the twins, and he gave it a few second's thought before replying with a hearty, "Aye!"

Jill gasped then, and Carson went back to work. "All right, love, I need you to give me a good, hard push."

Jill grabbed John's hand, squeezing tightly as she pushed with all her might.

"Good girl, I see the head. Keep pushing!"

Jill strained, Carson encouraged, and John began hyperventilating. Soon, though, a tiny cry filled the room. John made the mistake of looking at the little girl in Carson's hands, and the room suddenly began to spin.

Before he hit the floor, he heard Carson sigh exasperatedly, "Good grief, lad, we've still got one more!"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

John woke up a few minutes later, Carson's voice in his ears.

"That's it, lad, take it easy."

He opened his eyes, and Carson smiled. Or was that a smirk? He couldn't decide, but before he could ask, Carson was walking away. He followed Carson with his eyes, and saw him take a tiny bundle from one of the marines before perching on the edge of the table where Jill lay, holding another bundle.

And with that, his memory came rushing back, and he groaned.

"I did it again."

"Aye," said Jill, with a grin. "But we promise to forget it ever happened. Right, boys?" She smiled at the marines, who smiled back. Clearly, they had already discussed John's previous experiences in losing consciousness.

He sighed. He was never going to live this down.

John got to his feet and made his way over to Jill and Carson, intending to order everyone off the ship. As soon as he saw the twins, though, he forgot everything else.

Carson held up his bundle. "John, we'd like tae introduce ye to Aelwen Aurora Jillian Beckett." Little Aelwen yawned, stretching out a tiny fist, which John grabbed gently. Tiny fingers enveloped his thumb, and he smiled.

"Who gave you the names?" he asked.

"Well, Aelwen was my grandmother's name. Jillian is obvious. And Aurora…that was suggested by Atlantis."

John looked up, surprised. "Really?"

Jill nodded. "It just appeared on my screen one day. It's Latin. Aurora was goddess of the dawn."

Carson laughed gently. "Let's hope that doesn't mean little Aelwen will be getting up at dawn every morning."

John smiled, and pulled his finger from Aelwen's grasp. "And the other?"

Jill held up the child in her arms. "This handsome lad is John Aleron Carson Beckett. Carson, again, is obvious. Aleron means eagle in Latin and knight in French. But we wanted his first name to be yours. You were, after all, partly responsible for creating them."

John ran his finger down his namesake's soft cheek. "I don't know what to say."

At that moment, Colonel Caldwell's voice came over the radio, making any need for comment a moot point.

"_Dr. Beckett, is everyone secure for transport?"_

Jill smiled slightly. "We, ah, called him when you were…indisposed."

John sighed. "Gee. Thanks." He touched his earpiece. "Colonel Caldwell, this is Sheppard. We are ready to go when you are."

Jill smiled, and then glanced apprehensively at the child in her arms. "What now?"

Carson put his arm around her, holding tightly to his son.

"Let's go home."

_Fin_

o0o

_AN: Okay, first off, I owe you an explanation and an apology. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this up. Life got a little crazy, and then I couldn't decide which of the two endings I wanted to go with. Then, when I did decide, I rewrote half of it. So anyway, I apologize again for taking so long with this. _

_I'll be taking a break from fanfiction for a bit. I've got a few stories planned, though, so be on the lookout for them. One is a team fic and the other is centering on some serious Shep and Lorne whump. _

_Thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews you've given, and thank you especially for sticking with this story. You are all wonderful and amazing. _

_Any questions can be posted in reviews, or just send me a message and I will gladly reply as soon as possible. _

_Amor ab imo pectore_


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